Next Generation MRI for Arms and Legs Reduces Stress

At Loyola Center for Health outside Chicago, Illinois, patients are treated with a powerful new MRI machine specifically designed for scanning the arms and legs, according to a report Monday in the Chicago Tribune. The machine is reportedly smaller than a refrigerator and produces the same detail as a full-body scan and is said to be an advancement in the evolution of MRI, according to Jeffrey Weinreb, professor of diagnostic radiology at the Yale School of Medicine, based on the article. “The type of MRI machine at Loyola is the first to use the same magnetic field strength, 1.5 Tesla, as full-body MRI machines, and thus will home in on finer, subtler details to help radiologists make diagnoses and guide surgeons in operations,” the article states. This type of MRI machine also eliminates the need for patients to lie still for extended periods of time through a full-body scan. The experience can be painful and full of anxiety for patients in severe trauma. The new machine allows patients to sit in a chair. For the complete story in the Chicago Tribune click here.