North Shore-LIJ Unveils $2.4M High-Field Open MRI, the Only One of Its Kind on Long Island
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Advanced technology provides superior imaging, transforms patient experience Getting a diagnostic radiology test at a medical facility can make almost anyone nervous. Now, thanks to the latest equipment and advanced technology, patients at North Shore-LIJ’s Diagnostic Imaging Center can feel like they are taking a mini-vacation during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan while benefiting from the capabilities of a high-field, truly open machine.
Unlike conventional closed tunnel-shaped MRIs, the open design of the center’s new MRI is ideal for anxious or claustrophobic patients, overweight or large adults and children who may be especially fearful of older machines. To ease anxiety, patients are able to select from a computer menu of relaxing scenes, such as a tropical beach, the desert night sky or other calming environments which are projected onto the wall, along with a combination of soothing sounds and music.
An MRI is a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a strong magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce very detailed images of the human body without x-rays. It is primarily used to scan the brain and spine and the entire musculoskeletal system as well as other areas of the body. In response to increased patient demand for MR imaging and a need to accommodate different types of patients, the Diagnostic Imaging Center invested in the Panorama 1.0 Tesla open MRI from Philips Medical Systems, the only high-field open machine of its kind on Long Island. The cost of the entire project was $2.4 million. “Not only does the new open MRI offer physicians high-resolution images for advanced clinical applications, it also features a completely open design, allowing a certain subgroup of patients to be scanned who previously couldn’t tolerate a closed MRI,” said Mitchell Goldman, MD, chairman of radiology at North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center. Co-directors of the Diagnostic Imaging Center, Drs. Eran Ben-Levi and Jason Naidich, said the goal of the center is to provide the most optimal care possible for the patient and the new MRI technology is an added benefit to the community. “The MRI is wide open, which not only makes it more comfortable for patients, but the design also permits the examination of joints in any position, making it easier to detect the possibility of injuries,” said Dr. Naidich. “With the new open MRI, patients are able to get appointments more quickly and now we are able to scan any patient, large or small,” said Dr. Ben-Levi. “Since we are the only facility in the North Shore-LIJ Health System with this unique open MRI, physicians are able to easily refer patients to us from any of our other hospitals as needed.” Another advantage of the new MRI system is that it is compatible with the health system’s picture archiving communications system, a system of storing and reviewing radiology images without film. Digital images can be securely accessed from any computer within the center or any North Shore-LIJ hospital, or through the Internet from a doctor’s office or home computer. The Diagnostic Imaging Center, part of North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Advanced Medicine, located at 450 Lakeville Road in Lake Success, NY, provides a full range of outpatient radiology services including MRI, computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography/CT, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, radiography and mammography. For more information, call 516-734-8600. Media Contact: Betty Olt, 516-465-2645, bolt@nshs.edu |
