In May, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) added a third magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit in its Joe Buck Imaging Center to help meet ever-increasing demands for this imaging study. SLCH performs approximately 6,000 MRIs annually, for an average of 500 a month.
“For many diseases, MRI is simply the right test. This is especially true for patients with cardiac or neurological diseases or who need neurosurgery,” says Robert McKinstry, MD, PhD, SLCH radiologist-in-chief. “Our new Siemens Avanto MRI is a world-class cardiac scanner that enables us to produce finely detailed MRI and angiography studies. In addition, the Avanto features parallel imaging, making it much more efficient since we can scan large portions of the body—for example, the chest, abdomen and pelvis or the brain and spine—all at once. That ability nicely complements our Sonata MRI, designed mainly for neurological and cardiac patients, and our 3 Tesla MRI, which addresses the advanced imaging needs of neurology patients.”
MRI appointments at the Joe Buck Imaging Center are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.