A recent publication from the American College of Radiology indicates that 3T MRI is potentitally much better than other MRI field strengths. It is also much better than both ultrasound and mammography. We do request that you bring your most recent mammogram and sonogram for comparison. We really like to have all your studies so we can give you the most complete reading as you get off the scanner. We are the ONLY facility that I know who gives your breast MRI results to you as you leave. We use only the safest contrast for your breast MRI study. www.safecontrast.com
MRI consultants was formed in Newark DE in 2006 to provide the highest level of quality to out patients. People ask me everyday why is 3T better. The simple answer is that we see better. We can scan faster, thinner and cover more area in the same time. This means we can often find things that no other scanner can see. For MS patients this is a true advance. We see about 40% more lesions in a brain with MS than any regular 1.5T or lower scanner. Patients drive up to 2 hours to get their studies done at 3T because we are the only 3T in Delaware. For cancer workup we are 20% more sensitive for metastases.
At 3.0T your images will be the best that modern science can deliver and the potential of 3.0T to see more slices in the same time, see more contrast resolution (with the safest contrast) with no additional cost – all adds us to a win win for the patients and the doctors. We charge the same as 1.5T. We offer more detail and better contrast enhancement. There simply is no reason not to try the 3.0T. We also have sedation if you can come with a friend or with transportation to take you home after the study. The increased sensitivity to contrast means we can use less contrast. In patients with renal failure we can use ¼ the regular dose of contrast and still get a good study. This means that the risk of Nephrogenic systemic sclerosis which is life threatening in patients with kidney failure would be lessened. In fact no one has documented any cases of this rare disease when lower doses of contrast have been used.
For Breast MRI we slice 1mm thick images and create the best breast MRI study in Delaware. This means we can pick up more subtle abnormalities and also characterize lesions more clearly. Various studies around the world have shown that 3T breast MRI is superior to 1.5T breast MRI. Some important cases which shows our capabilities are the breathold liver studies we can do. We found a left lobe hepatoma and 3 other areas of the liver missed on another MRI scanner. This is because our scanner can scan both quickly and with high resolution. This is particularly important for lesions of the pancreas which can be small. We can scan a 26cm field of view with 4mm thick sections.l This allows us to pick up subtle pancreatic tumors smaller than on any other scanner. At 3T we can make the sections 2mm thin and also higher in detail than other.
We found a case of Tolossa Hunt Syndrome on our routine orbit study with and without contrast. Recntly we saw an abducens nerve lesion also in the cavernous sinus. Our ability to find 2mm lesions is markedly improved at 3T. At 1.5T these lesions would probably not even be seen. Our scanner allows us to have greater coverage and better fat sat so this lesion might have been missed on another scanner. We did about 500 images on this patient in a half hour and only the pre and post fat sat images showed the subtle left cavernous sinus lesion. We also offer same day emergency coverage so a patient with an acute stroke was seen immediately – about 1 hour after the doctor called and we also got the patient an immediate appointment with their cardiologist who admitted the patient to hospital with an occipital completed acute infarct. We also recently picked up a small 2mm lesion of the 6th nerve in the cavernous sinus. We phoned the doctor with the results immediately. We often can give the patients the results as they get off the table. We offer a level of service not available in Delaware previously.
We also offer a level of detail that simply is the best MRA possible. So we repeat MRA studies done on other magnets to see if the patient has an aneurysm or not. We are twice to 4 times the resolution of other scanners so about once a month we REPEAT the equivocal MRAs done elsewhere and get a definite result. We found a pericallosal aneurym missed by an OPEN MRI study. We clrify unclear findings done on other MRI scanners.
At 3T we can also do functional MRI which cannot be done at 1.5T. This lets us image patients thoughts and can localize the motor strip or occipital cortex. Our musculoskeletal images are done with 2mm or 1mm slice thickness which is not possible at 1.5T. Our wrist images and foot images are twice as fast as any other scanner because of the 3T increased signal. Breast MRIs are the best possible at 3T. Our musculoskeletal Knee, Ankle, Foot, Wrist and Shoulder studies are the highest resolution in the shortest time. We scan two to four times faster. Each series takes only 1 or 2 minutes. At 1.5T it takes 5 minutes to do each series so they do less pictures on their slower scanners. We hope you will do a web search to see that 3T is truly better and we wish to offer this to your patients. Philip W Chao MD
Our spine images are astounding and incredibly fast. We do a fat saturation proton density sequence which takes only 3 minutes of scan time with 512x512 matrix resolution and CONTIGUOUS images. This scan shows details of the spine that you cannot see using routine T1 weighted and T2 weighted images. I do a double run - a double one and half minute study which does every other slice and there is no skipping. We scan the entire object. At 1.5T or lower they almost always use a skip. They also typically use 192 or 256 matrix resolution. This means we scan with 2 times the spatial resolution and about 2 times the slice resolution. Our scans are 4 times more detailed in less imaging time. In that 3 min scan we can usually tell if you have something wrong almost instantly.
Similarly in the foot, wrist, elbow, knee and ankle this 512x512 3 mintues scan is very useful to find an abnormality quickly and efficiently. Our total imaging times for studies can be as little as 8 minutes. However we tend to like to use the extra time to get even more detailed studies of your body.
Our newest scanner to join us is the Siemens Espree - SPACE THE FINAL FRONTIER. The most spacious scanner in the world. It is 1.5T quality (not as good as 3T) but it is in our facility because it is the LEAST CLAUSTROPHOBIC scanner in the world. And we have done some things in our site to make it even more friendly. We have a window in the suite you can look out into the sky while you are hving your scan. We also have a 42" widescreen LCD TV in the ceiling so you can actually watch a TV show or blueray DVD while your head is outside the scanner for your pelvis or lumbar or knee or foot MRI. Supposedly 60% of the scans on this scanner are done with your head ouside of the scanner. (You must be taller than 5 foot 2 inches).
Unfurtunately those scans where the part of the body is close to your head will require your head be inside the wider opening of our scanner. For those patients in which seeing the sky behind you or the extra room inside still is bothersome - we offer IV sedation at our facility. We are the only facility that offers this and we do it for free. No additional charge. We also offer free kidney creatinine testing with our in house ISTAT-1 It also is free. Other facilities charge for everything - we do it all under the same MRI fee. Get the best! go to BEST OPEN MRI or MRI CONSULTANTS!