Extremity MRI in a specialised radiology practice
Report: Meike Lerner
The number of MRI scans carried out on arm and leg joints in a specialised radiology practice is high and constitutes a significant part of MRI scanner use. Such is the case at the Remigius Ärztehaus in Leverkusen and the RNR Dortmund MVZ, both specialist surgeries within the RNR Association, one of the largest radiological networks in Germany.
To meet demand, both establishments have installed ONI MSK Extreme high-field, open configuration extremity MRI systems. During an EH interview, Walburga Schantzen (WP), radiology specialist and unit manager at RNR MVZ GmbH, explained the reasons for investment in specialist modalities still rarely found in private practices.
Walburga Schantzen: In our MVZs (Medical Care Centres) we offer patients the whole range of MRI scans so that examinations are made as comfortable as possible. The acquisition of an extremity MRI was made for the same reason, but in both cases brought with it some specific issues. In the case of Leverkusen, we provide entire radiological care for patients at the neighbouring Remigius Hospital, which, among others, has a well equipped, specialist orthopaedics department. Therefore the need for an extremity scanner here resulted not exclusively from the needs of our own outpatients but to a large extent from those of in-patients at the hospital. The 1.5-Tesla extremity MRI has been operational, alongside the 1.5-Tesla whole-body scanner, for about eight weeks.
In Dortmund we decided at the beginning of the year to install a 1.0-T extremity MRI scanner, which has since been supporting the 1.5-T scanner. The main reason for this acquisition here was that structural restrictions would have made the installation of a second whole-body MRI impossible.
Apart from these pragmatic considerations, what are the advantages of these ‘handy’ scanners?
WP: We’ve found that the most noticeable advantages are those for examinations of the hands and elbows. These are particularly uncomfortable for patients in a whole-body MRI scanner because they mostly have to position their arms above their heads. The MSK Extreme offers a significantly more comfortable alternative for this type of examination. The same applies to diagnosis of the foot or ankle. However, for examinations of the knee we still use the whole-body scanner a lot, because the positioning of the knee in the extremity MRI scanner can sometimes be uncomfortable for patients.
Additionally, we also make use of more conventional modalities if there is diagnostic ambiguity due to the restricted field of vision. It doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes there are cases where, during a knee examination, we detect a tumour, a suspicious growth on the distal femur, which is then further investigated during another examination.
In both locations, the ONI scanners have turned out to the best possible addition to our existing range of equipment for the diagnoses of joint problems, which allows us to make the ‘trip through the tube’ as comfortable as possible for our patients.
ONI MSK 1.0 and 1.5 Tesla extremity MRI
The extremity MRI generation is particularly suitable for examinations of the hand, wrist, elbow, foot, ankle and knee. Patients benefit from a quick, comfortable examination, with no risk of claustrophobia because, during the exam the patient sits in front of, or next to the magnet, depending on the specific body area to be scanned, and this is then positioned within the compact tube.
Details: www.medicor.de
German distribution: MMS Medicor Medical Supplies GmbH
21.05.2010
