MRI, magnetic resonance imaging, uses magnets, radio waves, and computers to create detailed, cross sectional pictures of your body. The process is quick and painless and provides your doctor with information he or she needs to plan your treatment.
MRI & CT Diagnostics houses four MRI scanners: the 3T Ultra High Field MRI, the High Field Open MRI, the Open Upright MRI, and the High Field MRI. Depending on location and what part of your body is being scanned, your body type, and your comfort level, the radiologist will choose the appropriate scanner for your MRI exam. The goal is to maximize your comfort while generating the most useful information for your physician.
MRI Scanner Options
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3.0T Ultra High MRI
"The 3 Tesla scanner, our newest scanner," says Dr. Hecht-Leavitt, "is the most powerful available and is the first one in our region. It is two times as powerful as the 1.5 Tesla scanner and five times as powerful as the .6 Tesla Open Upright scanner. It offers speed and detail that you can't get any other way."
The 3 Tesla Ultra High Field MRI has a unique ability for imaging the brain. It provides more detailed pictures of the blood vessels, information on brain metabolism, and better overall imaging of the brain. This makes it useful in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, for example. A standard MRI may only allow the doctor to see a single brain lesion, but with the 3 Tesla, the improved detail is more likely to show multiple lesions, confirming the diagnosis.
0.6T Open Upright MRI
"The Open Upright MRI scanner allows patients to simply walk in, sit down, watch TV, and have their scan," says Dr. Fanney. "Patients can watch television during their scan in a quiet, comfortable environment, eliminating claustrophobic reactions."
The open multi-positional MRI has the ability to scan a patient in the position that reproduces his symptoms leading to a more accurate anatomical diagnosis. Patients can be scanned in flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral bending positions.
"Patient positioning," says Dr. Fanney, "plays a critical role in detecting clinically significant pathology. When you scan the spine with a patient in the upright position, bulging disks will be depicted better than if the patient is lying down where there is less pressure on the spine. This gives us more information about the underlying cause of the patient's symptoms."
The open scanner can also rotate a vetically oriented patient into a horizontal position so the patient can be scanned lying down as in a conventional MRI scanner.