KSB Hospital offers upgraded Magnetic Resonance Imaging services

DIXON – KSB Hospital has completed installation of a new Siemens Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner that offers improved imaging quality and enhanced comfort for patients needing help diagnosing potential disease.

An MRI scan is a painless test that produces very clear images of the organs and structures inside the body using a large magnet, radio waves and a computer. Health care providers often prefer to use MRI scans instead of other radiation-based techniques to look for soft tissue abnormalities in areas such as the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

The new Siemens machine replaces equipment that has been in place at the hospital for more than a decade and provides substantially better image quality in about half the time, according to KSB.

“The images that I read from this new technology are absolutely amazing,” said Dr. Ross Ogilvie, a KSB radiologist. “Diagnostic images of this quality would have required lots of extra time in the old scanner”

Even with the faster scan times, patients can be in the MRI for 20 to 30 minutes. The new Siemens machine makes the time easier to bear with improved noise cancellation technology along with infotainment options to put the patient at ease while minimizing the somewhat claustrophobic feel of an MRI scanner.

“Our patients can now choose the specific music style they would like to hear during the scan, which serves to substantially muffle the mechanical noises produced by the machine,” said KSB Director of Medical Imaging Bekah Fenwick.

Planning for the replacement of the former MRI has been underway for three years. Funding for the $2 million project had to be identified and extensive building renovations done in preparation for the replacement. Existing flooring required additional magnetic shielding and a portion of an exterior wall had to be removed in order to get the magnet into the building.

“With the addition of this state-of-the-art MRI scanner, along with the new mammography and ultrasound equipment in the dedicated Women’s Imaging Center, KSB is committed to providing our patients with cutting-edge technology to meet all of their imaging needs,” KSB Vice President and Chief Information Officer Ray Sharp said.

In order to provide your physician with the diagnostic information available from an MRI scan, outpatient exams typically are scheduled within a week of a request by a licensed physician or advanced practice professional. Information is available from KSB’s Central Scheduling Department at 815-284-5700.