New
Dimension in Open MRI and Patient Comfort
InSight Premier Health Provides
Siemens 1.5T MAGNETOM Espree with Tim™ -
The world's first Open Bore MRI
to Redington-Fairview General Hospital
InSight Premier Health is providing mobile MRI
service to Redington-Fairview General Hospital
with the region’s first Open Bore, 1.5 Tesla,
mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system
that combines a larger bore, or opening, for obese
and claustrophobic patients with the ability to
capture high-field quality diagnostic images.
“This is going to increase our efficiency
and patient convenience,” says Pam Elias,
RTR, M, CNMT, Radiology Department Manager. “The
patient-friendly design of this magnet will make
it easier for large patients and those with claustrophobia
to have a MRI examination which produces higher
quality images. This will potentially reduce the
need to repeat and interrupt exams.”
“Certainly, all patients deserve the same
access to innovative medical imaging technology
used for visualization, diagnosis and treatment
planning of cancer, diabetes, heart and vascular
disorders and other diseases associated with obesity,”
says Nancy Gillen, president of the MR Division
of Siemens Medical Solutions.
Since two-thirds of American adults are overweight,
the health-care industry is challenged to accommodate
these larger patients with imaging systems that
were designed for people who weigh much less.
Currently, patients too large to fit inside the
bore of a high-field MRI magnet have image studies
done in open MRI systems with low-field magnets.
This limits the diagnostic usefulness of the images
obtained. The field strength of a magnet is measured
in units of Tesla – the higher the number,
the higher the field strength. The higher the
field strength, the better the quality of images
produced.
Claustrophobic patients present another challenge
for MRI systems. They can be sedated, adding to
their inconvenience and the time it takes to schedule
and perform an exam.
The Siemens Medical Solutions MAGNETOM Espree
at Redington-Fairview General Hospital features
a bore opening of nearly 2.3 feet in diameter
and almost one foot of free space between a patient’s
head and the magnet. The Espree also features
the shortest 1.5 Tesla magnet available. Approximately
four feet long, the magnet allows more than 60
percent of exams to be completed with the patient’s
head outside the bore, helping to ease claustrophobia.
The new system provides up to four times more
signal-to-noise ratio over traditional open MR
designs, which is desirable in imaging larger
patients. In addition, the Espree can perform
advanced clinical applications in less time, because
it combines strong gradient performance with Siemens’
Total imaging matrix (Tim™) technology.
Tim is the first whole body surface coil design
that enables the highest resolution images in
a shorter acquisition time. Tim coils are very
light, making them both easy to position and tolerate
when scanning larger patients, improving cooperation.
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