MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a procedure used to view soft tissue and hard bone. Images are produced by radio waves and a large, cylinder-shaped magnet. The magnet design allows an MRI to scan any body part and get views from any angle, without having to move the patient.
Over the past few years, several additions have been made to this department to improve the types of scans available, as well as the speed and clarity of each scan. Magnetic Resonance Angiography, or MRA, gives physicians the opportunity to view the arteries and veins throughout the body, providing
valuable diagnoses of several serious conditions. Phased array is a software update which provides detail of small anatomy such as nerves.
Fast Scanning also uses software to get images faster which is especially helpful when scanning children under sedation. Fast scanning provides increased black and white contrast on the images of adult patients in less time. When used together, phases array and fast scanning help us provide images faster and with better quality.
The department has also added a prostate surface coil for better detail of the prostate while scanning the prostate area.
The MRI department at Thompson Cancer Survival Center has been in operation for more than 11 years and is equipped with two state-of-the-art GE scanners. Films are read by a team of radiologists, including three neuro-radiologists and one musculo-skeletal radiologist.
The department is open from 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Department staff is also on-call for emergencies.
If you have any questions about magnetic resonance imaging, please feel free to call the MRI department at (865) 541-1826.
