Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 - (Page 60)

modaliTy review By Erin Chesson, RT(R) Multifunction MRI the 1.5t Workhorse More open magnet design, new coil technology, faster sequences and highquality images are helping to maintain 1.5T MRI as a standard of care— clearly a clinical workhorse. Patient-friendly designs add to the marketability of 1.5T systems for hospitals and imaging centers to both patients and physicians. 1.5T breast MRI also is making its clinical mark—increasing flexibility and improving—and speeding—breast cancer diagnosis. Seattle Radiologists, a full-service outpatient diagnostic imaging center in Seattle, Wash., has been a long-time user of 1.5T MRI systems. Currently, the facility utilizes a variety of scanners, including two GE Healthcare Signa 1.5T and one GE Signa 3T MR scanners. The workout the 1.5T magnets get come largely from body scans, thanks to the performance of their sophisticated coils. For example, one coil can scan an abdomen and pelvis at one time. The 12-channel coil has a 48 cm field of view, says Kirby Souther, RT(R)(MR)(CT), lead technologist at Seattle Radiologists. Orthopedic studies also are done on the 1.5T system because the center does not yet have the necessary coils to do these studies on the 3T magnet. Breast biopsies also are always done on the 1.5T scanner. Determining which patient will be triaged to which MR scanner at Seattle Radiologists is sometimes driven by the physician ordering the study. Souther explains that in order to increase referrals and become competitive in the marketplace, many free-standing imaging centers are adding 3T scanners to their portfolios. However, hospital-based physicians who are largely keeping referrals in-house may continue to rely on the proven imaging strength of 1.5T. While 3T is steadily growing, 1.5T systems still account for the majority of MR installations worldwide. (In the 2007 Health Imaging & IT Top Trends Survey last October, respondents estimated that 1.5T is the system of choice 49 percent of the time vs. 37 percent for 3T.) “The 1.5T MR system has been the workhorse of the industry for a very long time. The protocols have really been developed on this system because it has been around for many years,” says Souther. He has worked with 1.5T magnets for 18 years, and has seen the modality develop into the robust technology it is today. setting the standards The MR suite at Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center in Livingston, N.J., scans 60 Health Imaging & IT | May 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 Contents On the Web The Enterprise News Update Convention Spotlight: SIIM 2008 Healthcare IT Salary Survey Survey Findings Inside the Transition to Next-Generation Image Management Blurring the Lines: Interfaced vs. Integrated RIS/PACS The Insider's Primer: Taming the Workflow Beast - Five Facilities Tell How Availability, Applications Drive New Archive Strategies Modality Review Managing Technology Inside Technology Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

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