Morris Hospital credits new MRI for improved scans in less time and with greater patient comfort

Morris — Claustrophobia, loud noise, lying immobile for a long time.

These are just three reasons why people typically don’t enjoy magnetic resonance imaging.

But the new $3 million MRI system at Morris Hospital can obtain clearer scans in up to 40% less time and with greater patient comfort, said Liz Bates, director of imaging services at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers.

First, the wider and shorter opening of the new MRI, the arm supports and positioning aids will help patients feel more comfortable and less confined, Bates said.

“We also have headphones where we can play music for the patient,” Bates said.

The MRI’s Biomatrix technology allows technicians to quickly position patients, she said.

“Within the table there are sensors and different things that detect pressure points on the patient,” Bates said. “As the patient [lies] down … it will determine the body type of the patient, and that will also create the right technique for each patient.”

In a lung scan, for instance, the table’s sensors will compensate for breathing, so patients won’t have to hold their breath during part of the test, Bates said.

Bates said the MRI’s Turbo technology cuts down the imaging time by up to 40%. It also “allows multiple scans to be obtained simultaneously,” according to a news release from Morris Hospital.

“This allows us to scan people that may be critical or can’t lay still for very long,” Bates said.

So, for an MRI that typically took an hour, the time might now be 30 to 40 minutes, Bates said.

“It makes a big difference,” Bates said.

Less time on the table, greater comfort and scanners that compensate for certain moves help to ensure images are clear, in addition to picking up certain details, Bates said.

Dr. Furquaan Isa, a radiologist on the Morris Hospital medical staff with Grundy Radiologists, said in the release that included micro-bleeds in the brain with a technology called susceptibility-weighted imaging. This is useful when diagnosing concussions, he said.

The new MRI also will detect iron deposits in the liver and small structures in the joints of fingers and toes, according to the release.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging also detects old bleeds in the brain, such as from a previous stroke.

Bates said Morris Hospital received the new MRI, which is formally called a Magnetom Altea 1.5T MRI system, from Siemens Healthineers in June. It replaced the hospital’s former MRI, which was 11 years old, she said.

“It’s exciting to see it work,” she said.

Bates said Morris Hospital also has an MRI at its Ridge Road Campus in Channahon and an MRI along with the Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine office on Route 6 in Morris.