Bruce J. Hebert
December 11, 2006
Houma man leads police on chase
December 13, 2006
Teche Regional Medical Center has a new addition: A state-of-the-art high definition MRI system from GE Healthcare.
The Signa EXCITE 1.5 HD system will provide doctors with highly detailed pictures of anatomy and pathology to help them evaluate a wide range of medical conditions, including stroke, musculoskeletal disorders and heart disease, according to hospital officials.
“Now with our new high definition MRI system, Teche Regional Medical Center is able to capture dramatic images of our patients, similar to that of high definition television. This new system provides our physicians with outstanding image quality for a more confident diagnosis, and less likelihood of rescans, even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Scott Smith, Teche Regional’s chief executive officer (CEO).
The high definition MRI scanner is built precisely to handle the types of studies that are becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of disease. “We get more information to diagnose disease while patients experience a shorter, more comfortable exam. Plus, patients can take advantage of this advanced healthcare technology right here at home, said Smith.
The Signa EXCITE 1.5T HD system will also, for the first time, provide Teche Regional Medical Center’s physicians with unprecedented imaging speed and clarity in cases where patients are difficult to image due to movement, including Parkinson’s patients who suffer from uncontrollable patient motion and children who do not respond to sedation.
During a typical MRI scan, a patient is asked to remain still for the exam, Smith said. Even if a patient is cooperative they can blur a scan with a slight movement, including a cough or sneeze. This movement can hide important details, make the doctor’s job of diagnosing the situation more challenging, or require a re-scan n sometimes up to 25 percent of the time with conventional MRI scanners.
Today, with the new, state-of-the-art high definition MRI, Teche Regional is able to offer its patients advanced capabilities and entirely new applications which produce uncompromised image quality, despite patient motion, which are only available with this new technology.
“In addition, our physicians are able to offer the most comprehensive range of MRI procedures in the Tri Parish area, providing optimal diagnostic capabilities for the assessment of the brain, heart, spine, prostate, abdomen, and pelvis, as well as perform orthopedic procedures on the elbow, wrist, hip and ankle,” said Smith.
“The upgrade of our MRI to a state of the art machine is just the beginning of many positive changes taking place in the upcoming months at Teche Regional Medical Center. No longer will members of our community have to go out of town to have test done. The capability to offer our patient’s top rated technology means better care for our patient’s right here at home,” he added.
Photo supplied by Teche Regional Medical Center/ Rodney Bailey, a MRI technologist, stands near the Signa EXCITE 1.5 HD system, a recent addition at Teche Regional Medical Center that will help physicians detect strokes, musculoskeletal disorders and heart disease.
