UPMC Altoona has added a new larger MRI designed to be faster and more comfortable. The $1.8 million scanner accommodates people who weigh up to 500 pounds and may help reduce anxiety in patients who are claustrophobic.
The MRI allows the use of both head-first and feet-first imaging and may eliminate the need for patients to be repositioned during an exam.
The hospital says since the upgraded technology works faster, it reduces the time needed for the procedure. MRI supervisor Dan Mason says the scanner’s images are 100 percent better than its predecessor.
“The resolution’s a lot better for small tumors and we can do tinier slices that you can see the fine things that you didn’t see before ,” he explains. Mason says new software also allows means that accurate images can be taken in patients who’ve had joint replacement.
The new scanner is located on the first floor of UPMC Altoona and will serve mainly inpatients. The hospital’s Station Medical Center has a similar large MRI and a second, older one is scheduled to replaced with the new model.
