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| Home > Healthy People > April 2002 |
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April - June, 2002 |
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Mobile MRI puts high-tech radiological imaging on wheels
St. John's Health System's Radiology Services kicked off the new year with an initiative to bring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services to patients in the outlying communities with a new high field-strength mobile scanner.
The scanner travels to Carroll Regional Medical Center in Berryville, Ark., and Aurora Community Hospital.
"Our patients travel to Springfield, Fayetteville, Ark., Rogers, Ark., or Harrison, Ark., for an MRI," Carroll Regional President David Dennis says. "We're sending at least 60-100 patients to other facilities each month for scans, and we're excited to be able to offer that service here."
MRI is a non-invasive procedure that uses a superconducting magnet and varying magnetic fields to produce a picture of the inside of the body area under investigation.
The mobile scanner may also travel to other areas if needed.
Aurora Community Hospital President Don Buchanan, who also serves as president of Regional Medicine of the Ozarks' West Region, says the mobile scanner will be a great asset for patients in his region.
"Our patients have always had to travel to Springfield or Joplin for those services, so for our local residents, it will be real handy. The new scanner will also give our physicians a quick source for diagnosis. We think we'll be able to get patients in for scans within two or three days, compared to a wait of week or more if they are scheduled in Springfield," Buchanan says.
He added that Greg Day, a tractor-trailer driver for Aurora, will transport the mobile scanner among the facilities.
In addition to the new mobile scanner, Radiology Services now offers a centralized CT schedule which will allow physicians to call one number to schedule patients for scans at the most convenient location.
"We draw from a huge referral base," says Angiography Manager Kevin Moore. "The additional scanners and shift will help with customer service and convenience for patients and physicians."
Eddie Terrill, radiology services director, adds that 20 percent of health systems in the country are experiencing a shortage of radiological technicians, but St. John's hasn't felt the effects of the shortage.
"I was able to hire enough people to fill positions for our new projects," Terrill says.
In addition to the expanded radiology services, St. John's recently completed renovations to the Angiography/Interventional department at St. John's Regional Health Center to accommodate additional procedures and an increased patient load.
Angiography is an X-ray exam of the arteries and veins to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems. Interventional radiologists perform this X-ray procedure, which is also called an angiogram. During the angiogram, the doctor inserts a thin tube (catheter) into the artery through a small nick in the skin about the size of the tip of a pencil. A substance called a contrast agent (X-ray dye) is injected to make the blood vessels visible on the X-ray.
One of the most common reasons for angiograms is to see if there is a blockage or narrowing in a blood vessel that may interfere with the normal flow of blood through the body.
In many cases, the interventional radiologist can treat a blocked blood vessel without surgery at the same time the angiogram is performed.
Interventional radiologists treat blockages with angioplasty balloons, intravascular stents and thrombolysis.
Angiograms are also performed to diagnose aneurysms, cerebral vascular disease, such as stroke or bleeding in the brain, blood vessel malformations and to diagnose problems not resolved by other tests or imaging methods.
Moore says the renovation included a nine-bay holding area and a new angiographic/endovascular suite. The new procedure room is designed for all types of image-guided interventional procedures.
"With the expansion, we have doubled the size of our department," Kevin Moore says.
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