Advanced Surgical Hospital Offers Patient-Friendly MRIs
By Daniel Casciato

When your physician needs a noninvasive way to examine your organs, tissues and skeletal system, he or she will recommend an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

An MRI scan is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of your tissues and organs. It can help your physician to better diagnose a variety of problems.

An MRI is often performed to help diagnose:

• Orthopedic injuries and disorders
  
• Spinal cord abnormalities
  
• Brain abnormalities such as tumors, stroke aneurysms, dementia, multiple sclerosis and others
  
• Internal organ conditions

“One of the advantages of an MRI is that there’s no radiation involved with an MRI scan as opposed to an X-ray or CT scan,” says Daniel Jones, MRI director for Advanced Surgical Hospital (ASH). “An MRI also offers extremely fine tissue resolution meaning we can better see tissues, cartilage or muscles—basically any body part.”

At ASH, they are committed to obtaining the most diagnostic study while simultaneously putting you at ease. These are some of the reasons why ASH invested in a General Electric Optima MR450W MRI. This MRI uses much newer technology than other models and produces the high-quality images. In fact, the image quality is greatly improved for smaller body parts such as wrists, ankles, and knees.

“This MRI also contains a shorter and wider bore than a typical configuration so patients who are claustrophobic may feel less so,” says Jones. “Everything about this scanner was designed to be more patient-friendly.”

An MRI can last anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour. Most people get through an MRI exam without any trouble. However, Jones adds that the staff wants to make sure patients are comfortable and feel safe during their scan.

“We have a very professional and dedicated staff committed to patient satisfaction and that is reflected throughout the hospital,” he says. “We will work with any patients, who may feel uncomfortable or are claustrophobic. We want patients to get through the exam whether it’s by playing music or staying in the room during the MRI and chatting with them. We also provide an emergency call button that patients can press, and we can expedite their exit from the machine.”

ASH offers expedited MRI appointments with a typical results turn-around in 24-to-48 hours.
 
ASH sends your test results electronically to your physician before your follow-up visit. No matter where your doctor is located, the protocol is the same. In addition, upon your request, the ASH medical record team can also provide you a CD of your study.

For anyone who needs to get an MRI, Jones adds that you do not have to be a patient at ASH to have an MRI done there. Referrals are accepted from any physician.

“All you need is a doctor’s order for the exam,” he says. “If your insurance requires it, an authorization is required as well.”

Advanced Surgical Hospital is a Physician Owned Hospital. For more information, visit http://ashospital.net or call (724) 884-0754, Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Western Pennsylvania Guide to Good Health. All rights reserved.