On Tuesday, May 13, 2003, Deerpath Open MRI at Rezin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine will open its doors to patients in the Illinois Valley. The state-of-the-art facility, located at 1051 W. US Rt 6 in Morris, Illinois, houses a GE Medical Systems Signa Profile/i open MRI which sits inside a cutting-edge technology shielding room, further reducing the typical claustrophobic issues with normal MRIs. Along with this new technology, Rezin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine has partnered with Franklin & Seidelmann and Associates in Ohio to provide expert radiological readings.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners provide physicians with valuable diagnostic pictures from inside the human body, using radio waves and magnetism rather than x-ray to create images of the human anatomy. And, because the system is considered non-invasive, it offers fewer risks than some diagnostic alternatives.
The new Signa Profile/i system 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. Dr. Keith Rezin, President of Rezin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, stated, “These images are of such amazing clarity and detail that we are able to pinpoint a number of problems that can occur in the spine, body, brain or extremities.”
The system’s open design and extra wide padded table allow physicians to use the system for imaging applications that are not possible in conventional MRI scanners. For example, patients can swing their arms or bend their elbow or knee during their exam, enabling physicians to view joints through their full range of motion. The magnet is also much quieter than your typical hospital MRI, which removes some of the fear typically generated by institutional magnets.
Deerpath Open MRI is also the first site in the United States to utilize the Open Shielding Box from Itel, a medical systems company from Italy, for a full-size magnet. This innovative solution for radio frequency shielding for the most advanced open magnets provides an enclosure that reduces patient claustrophobia and removes radio frequency interference. Rezin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine has chosen this modular shielding because it allows natural light into the MRI room while allowing patient visibility through the many windows in the suite.