August 20, 1999

The Radiology Department hosted an open house Aug. 11 for MGHers to view the two new MRI scanners, temporarily located on the first floor of Founders House. The new scanners have tripled the capacity for MRI services at the hospital, allowing for quicker scheduling of MRI exams for inpatients and outpatients.

According to Rich Guarino, BSRT, MR, manager of MRI Services, the new scanners offer the latest in MRI imaging technology. "Many new imaging options are now available, which increase the speed and accuracy of MRI imaging for our patients," he says.

Some of the new imaging options offer improvements such as:

• Faster diagnosis of stroke patients
• Probe spectroscopy, which offers better differentiation of brain pathology
• Improvements in abdominal imaging for better visualization of the liver, pancreas and kidneys
• Improvements to offer noninvasive diagnosis of pathologies of the biliary system
• Capability of improved imaging of the elbow, hand and wrist, as well as, better visualization of joint cartilage
• New capabilities for improved vascular imaging

The new MRI scanners also are meant to supplement the MRI equipment in the Ellison Building and the MGH Imaging Center at CNY. The scanners will remain in the temporary location on Founders 1 until the Ellison 2 MRI suite expansion is completed.

The additional MRI capacity should offer more flexibility for physicians to schedule exams for their patients. MRI Services staff hold several patient exam slots open each day to provide for emergency same-day service.

"MRI is part of the critical pathway, or series of treatment options, for an increasing number of diseases and conditions," says James Thrall, MD, chief of Radiology. "We are grateful to everyone for bearing with us during the time when we did not have enough capacity. Now we can provide both high-quality care and timely service."

The hours of operation for MRI services at the Founders House and CNY locations are 7 am to 11 pm, Monday through Friday, and 7 am to 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday. The Ellison 2 MRI services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For routine scheduling, call 4-XRAY (4-9729). For same-day requests, call 6-5767, 4-4226 or 4-5356.

From left, Rich Guarino, BSRT, MR, manager of MRI services, reviews images with Amy Bullen, BSRT, MR, and Steven Nichols, RTR, CT, at the MRI open house.