The MRI department is once again adding a new face to the family. The scanner known as M3 has been replaced and upgraded with a brand new MRI scanner. When walking through the department, you may notice the hallway leading to this new machine has also been renovated, which will result in a much safer MR environment for you, your children and our fellow employees. With the new scanner now fully installed and ramped up, the superconductive magnetic field is always on.
Here at Cincinnati Children’s, we have both 1.5 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI machines. The new scanner is a 3 Tesla Philips Ingenia scanner. One nice feature of this scanner is that it allows our technologists to use multiple imaging coils at the same time. What this means for you and your child is that we can image a larger area of the body without having to move anyone or take the extra time to change coils. This will allow for better patient comfort and improved efficiency!
Also, since this is a 3T scanner, it will have additional neuro imaging capabilities. This includes techniques such as MR spectroscopy as well as functional and increased diffusion imaging of the brain. A Philips application specialist has been working with our technologists from the first week the scanner became operational to help us learn all the scanner’s capabilities and reach its maximum potential.
With the latest phase of construction complete, the main MR department has two 3 Tesla scanners with joint control rooms at one end of the hallway (M3 and M4), and two 1.5 Tesla scanners at the other end of the department (M1 and M2). Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next addition to our forever-improving Radiology Department.
Contributed by Jan Tiefermann (RT-MRI) and edited by Tony Dandino, (RT-MRI).
