First scans on new MRI unit scheduled

Magnetic Resonance Imaging System technologist Stephen Morris adjusts a patient's headphones before beginning a scan on the new MAGNETOM ESSENZA MRI at St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese. Beginning Feb. 16, MRI exams at the hospital will utilize the new in-house, 1.5 Tesla unit which boasts a shorter bore, quicker scan times and the latest in 16-channel technology. The in-house unit replaces a mobile unit that had made scheduled visits to St. Joseph's in Breese the past several years.

St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese is announcing the completed installation of a new in-house Siemen's MAGNETOM ESSENZA MRI (magnetic resonance imaging system) that offers the newest technology-fewer than 10 are in use across the United States-in a cost-effective package.

The first scans using the new equipment are scheduled for Feb. 16.

According to hospital radiologist Thomas Doyle, MD, the new unit is a 1.5 Tesla MRI, an advanced system that provides excellent clarity of imaging and supports a wide range of clinical applications such as neurology, orthopedics, body imaging, angiography, oncology and pediatrics.

"This system gives physicians the clinical information they need to provide their patients with the highest quality of care," Dr. Doyle said. "The 1.5T MRI is considered the gold standard of MR imaging."

Included is the Total Imaging Matrix or TIM technology which offers physicians all the standard clinical applications with excellent imaging quality, Dr. Doyle said. This technology also makes patient repositioning virtually unnecessary.

The new MRI, which replaces a mobile unit that visited the Breese facility several times a week for the past several years, is in a newly constructed and decorated suite on the north side of the hospital with easy access to Medical Imaging and the Emergency Department.

The entire project is estimated to cost about $1.5 million including the new MRI unit and construction.

"St. Joseph's in Breese is pleased to be able to offer such advanced technology," said hospital President and CEO Lowell Jones.

"We have been expanding our medical imaging services the past several years," Jones said. "This was the next step in providing the most up-to-date services possible for our physicians and their patients."

Once operational, MRI patients will generally be seen from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays with Saturday hours as needed, said hospital Professional Services Director Jene Bieri.

"We're more than doubling our service availability," Bieri said.

"We'll now have MRI service five days a week-and possibly six with Saturday hours-as compared to the three partial days that the mobile unit was available," Bieri said.

St. Joseph's in Breese does about 120 MRI scans a month on average. That total is expected to increase with the new equipment.

Exam times are quicker with the new unit, thus increasing patient comfort.

For example, in critical cases, the new unit can perform a complete exam of the entire central nervous system in less than 10 minutes, Bieri said. Scans that took 30 to 40 minutes can be completed in less than half that time.

The shorter bore of the new MRI also leads to increased patient comfort as the patient's head and feet will remain outside of the MRI during most scans, making procedures more pleasant.

In conjunction with the project, Siemens selected St. Joseph's in Breese as the only site world wide for their new 16-channel technology-as compared to the four-channel system on the mobile unit-and for new advanced software.

"The 16-channel unit offers a much higher resolution," Dr. Doyle said. "We are pleased to be able to offer such advanced technology to our physicians for their patients."

Being selected to showcase the newest equipment is quite an honor, Bieri said.

"The hospital must have MRI technologists capable of utilizing the more advanced equipment and be willing to host domestic-and possibly international-visitors," Bieri said. "With our highly-qualified employees and location-close to a major airport and interstate highways-St. Joseph's in Breese meets all the criteria."

Performing scans at St. Joseph's in Breese will be MRI technologists Stephen Morris of Sandoval and Gloria Hitpas of rural Carlyle.

Morris has been a board-certified MRI technologist since 1996 and a board-certified radiology technologist since 1992. A graduate of the Kaskaskia College Radiologic Technology Program, he is known industry-wide through his professional activities.

Hitpas, a 1984 graduate of the KC radiology program, has been in Medical Imaging at the hospital since 1988. She has been a Registered Computed Tomography (CT) Technologist since 2001 and also does X-rays, mammography, bone density and CT scans.

The MRI is only the latest in new equipment being added to the department.

While the hospital continues to offer film mammography, a new digital system will be installed the end of February with the first digital mammograms completed in early March, Bieri said.

The Friends of St. Joseph's picked up the $0.5 million tab for the digital mammography project using proceeds from the annual mailing, golf tournament and other fund-raising activities.

An Aquilion 64, a 64-slice CT scanner featuring the most sophisticated multi-slice CT technology available, was installed in October, 2007. This unit can capture precise images of any area of the body in as little as a 10-second breath hold.

A Picture Archiving and Communications (PACS)  system which integrates all of the hospital's imaging procedures to be read and stored in a digital or electronic format, was also installed previously.

With PACS, when a technologist completes an imaging procedure, the images are immediately available to be read on a high resolution workstation by the radiologist. The images are also immediately available for review by the referring physician and/or specialist on a secure, protected internet web server.

An open house displaying all the new equipment is planned; details will be announced when finalized.

For more information, contact Bieri at 526-5458 or jbieri@sjb.hshs.org.