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New MRIs give patients more comfortable scan | |||||
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Children’s recently became the first hospital in the country to install a high-field extremity magnetic resonance imager (MRI). The system, which has been installed at Children’s main campus and Children’s Hospital at Lexington, provides high-quality MRI images comparable to whole-body scanners, but without requiring the patient’s entire body to be engulfed by the machine. The device can scan knees, ankles, feet, elbows, wrists and hands. In addition to its lower cost compared to a whole-body MRI, the new system offers patients greater comfort and mobility. It is particularly useful in a pediatric setting, says Paul Kleinman, MD, director of Musculoskeletal Imaging, because children “are often frightened by the immensity, sense of confinement and noise associated with the regular whole-body magnet.” According to Rich Farago, RT(R)(MR), MRI technologist at Lexington, “There isn’t an MRI tech out there who doesn’t deal with the claustrophobia issue daily.” The primary use of the extremities MRI will be to scan uncomplicated and site-specific sports and orthopaedic injuries, such as damage to cartilage. Kleinman anticipates many service advantages to the magnet. When children with sports and orthopaedic injuries are scheduled to see an orthopaedist, they can also book an appointment for an extremity MRI scan. Since the extremity magnets will not be pre-scheduled with whole body and head scans, they will be readily accessible. Also, the images will be available immediately for patients. Previously, patients had to schedule an appointment on another date for the MRI, and then another follow-up. Says Farago: “This makes it much easier to get the image you need.” - CM |
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