VALDOSTA — South Georgia Medical Center’s Open MRI Center is fully operational.

Teresa Hudson, SGMC’s chief MRI technologist, said she has provided services to 37 patients since the center first opened its doors one month ago, and she expects that number to increase as word of the medical center’s service gets around town. The center is equipped to accommodate approximately six patients on any given day without subjecting patients or staff members to undue stress and strain.

“We have created a comfortable place for patients to come and get scanned,” said Teresa Tenery, director of Imaging Services at SGMC.

Located at 2400 N. Ashley St., between Convenient Care and the Doctor’s Building, the medical center’s new Magnetic Resonance Imaging system is designed for those patients who find standard systems to be too confining, noisy or intimidating. It’s open design and extra-wide padded table also allow physicians to use the system for imaging applications that are not possible in the medical center’s other MRI system — the conventional, high field-strength (1.5T) MRI, where patients lie wholly within a magnetic tunnel. For example, a patient can swing their arm or bend their elbow during the exam, enabling physicians to view joints through their full range of motion.

Other features of the new system include a built-in intercom and hand-held button that gives patients a sense of control during the procedure and a special seat that allows family and friends to accompany nervous or young patients, Laura Love, director of Community Relations at SGMC, said recently.

The General Electric Signa Profile/i Open MRI System, which was purchased for $751,385, is a low-field strength (0.2T) MRI which features an open magnet design that combines a spacious exam environment with the ability to provide images so detailed that they approach the fine-line anatomical drawings found in medical textbooks, according to GE Medical Systems.

It’s addition to the medical center complements and extends the range of high quality diagnostic services available to the residents of Lowndes County and the surrounding area.

“With this new magnet, we will be the only MRI provider in town that offers both high-field strength as well as low-field strength imaging,” said Jack Edwards, SGMC’s chief planning officer. “With this service, our affiliated physicians can choose in order to make the very best diagnosis possible.”

The many diverse imaging services offered at SGMC include diagnostic radiology, bone density scanning, interventional radiology, ultrasound and nuclear medicine. According to the medical center’s Web site, the Medical Imaging Department performs approximately 114,120 annual examinations per year and is staffed with technologists certified by the American Registry of Radiological Technologists and the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

In April, the American College of Radiology awarded SGMC a three-year accreditation in MRI services. This voluntary program evaluates the qualifications of imaging personnel, equipment performance, the effectiveness of quality control measures, and the quality of clinical images. According to medical center officials, their MRI unit is the only accredited one in Valdosta.

In fiscal year 2001, over 4,000 MRI scans were performed at SGMC.

“Healthcare technology changes constantly, and realistically, investing in expensive, state-of-the-art technology is quite challenging financially for us,” said SGMC’s Chief Executive Officer James McGahee. “However, when we looked at the volumes of procedures being performed in our Medical Imaging Department, it became evident that this new (facility) would help us serve more people faster …”

The $405,790 center was constructed by Cauthan Construction Co. and designed by Glenn Gregory and Associates, P.C., architects. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Physician referrals are required, and the procedure lasts about one hour.



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