(May 17, 2010; Henderson, Nev.). The St. Rose Dominican Hospitals–Rose de Lima Campus is the first hospital in the United States to get GE’s new Wide Bore 450w 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.
The standard MRI machine has a bore width of 60 centimeters, which hasn't changed since the technology was introduced in the 1970's. GE’s new Wide Bore MRI has a width of 70 centimeters. While a 10 centimeter increase in diameter may not sound like much, it creates a significant – 37 percent increase – in the machine’s cross-sectional area, which translates into a much larger opening that is much more accessible and comfortable for all patients.
“We're thrilled to be the first hospital in the country to offer this amazing new technology,” said Val Baciarelli, president/CEO of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals–Rose de Lima Campus. “The new Wide Bore MRI at our Rose de Lima Campus provides the best possible MRI without any tradeoffs or compromises in patient comfort while providing the highest quality diagnostic imaging quality available.”
GE used a wider and stronger magnet in the Wide Bore MRI which, in turn, enabled them to shorten the bore’s tunnel length. Now, if a patient’s abdomen is being imaged, the MRI table is positioned so that the bore covers just the mid-section of the body. This alleviates the patient’s feelings of confinement. Additionally, the stronger magnet, wider bore and improved computer software capabilities provide a wider imaging field so medical staff can scan the body part to be studied in just a few, quick sequences. Typical MRI studies take between 30 minutes and an hour; however, with the new GE Wide Bore MRI, studies can be complete within about 10 to 20 minutes.
And MRIs do not expose patients to harmful radiation. “Because MRI uses a powerful magnet and radio waves rather than x-ray technology, patients are not exposed to harmful radiation,” said Dr. Dana Murakami, chief radiologist at the Rose de Lima Campus. “This is particularly important in instances when a patient must undergo diagnostic imaging numerous times over the course of their treatment or their lifetime, e.g., a child with cancer or a senior with Alzheimer's, because routine MRI studies can be done without any long-term side effects.”
Until recently, MRI was primarily used to produces images of the head, the neck and the spine. Newer MRI machines with advanced computer programs can now produce high-quality images of the body’s bone structure as well as soft tissues such as the heart and blood vessels, the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract system, abdominal organs such as the liver, spleen and gallbladder, and both female and male reproductive organs.
