An accurate and timely diagnosis is one of the deciding factors between a positive outcome and a medical nightmare. To help our patients sleep soundly, we invest in a combination of the best medical practitioners and the latest and most advanced medical equipment. When experienced doctors are able to use better equipment, the treatment improves and the patient benefits every time. Our commitment to our patients and to providing high-quality medical care led us to invest in an advanced new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

The Signa HDxt 1.5 MRI machine from GE Healthcare is one of the most advanced diagnostic imaging tools available. MRI machines are extremely useful pieces of medical equipment. They use magnetic fields, as opposed to radiation, to create accurate images of the inside of the body. This image allows your doctor to identify problems that may exist within your body without having to perform any type of surgery or other invasive test.

Traditional MRI

While extremely useful tools, traditional MRI machines produce lower resolution images and require a lot of cooperation between the patient and the medical provider. If the patient moves–or even breathes too heavily–during the MRI process, the image can be blurred and lose clarity. This can become an issue when the patient in need of an MRI is an energetic child or an elderly adult who has difficulty lying exactly still. Even in cases where the patient is completely idle, internal organs may move, thereby degrading the quality of the image. This often leads to longer assessment periods, which require the patient to lie on an examination table that is positioned inside of the MRI machine. Some patients do not like lying on the table inside the machine for extended periods of time. However the combination of movement and image quality of traditional MRIs necessitates taking multiple images to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

Signa HDxt 1.5T MRI

With technological advancements come many improvements. One of the more notable additions to this machine is that it produces images of the inside of the body in high definition. Just like your favorite television programs are crisper and easier to evaluate in high definition, so are MRIs. A better quality image allows your physician to better diagnose and treat anything that she might find, whether that be a tiny problem with a single artery, or a larger tumor in your lung. The HDxt 1.5T also has some other benefits that make it a superior MRI machine:

• The opening of the “portal” that the patient lies in is larger, a full 60cm, making the machine less stifling for patients who are not comfortable in small spaces.
• The examination table that the patient lies on is larger, allowing a more comfortable diagnostic experience.
• The new technology compensates for movement, permitting the machine to take better pictures in less time, resulting in significantly shorter examination periods. A machine that counters the effects of body movement makes this MRI machine the clear choice for:
  • Diagnosing head injuries
  • Creating accurate images of the limbs including the feet
  • Taking images of the abdomen, which requires patients to hold their breath

This new equipment is currently in use and available to all patients who seek the high level of medical care that is offered at University Hospital and Medical Center in Tamarac. We invite residents from North Lauderdale and Coral Springs to find out more about our exceptional diagnostic imaging capabilities. If you are in need of a free physician referral, feel free to call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-442-2362 and speak to a registered nurse today.

Sources:
GE Healthcare
Radiologyinfo.org

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