May 11--YAKIMA, Wash. -- Krista Pusch was crowd surfing at a rock concert recently -- passed overhead from person to person -- when she was dropped on asphalt.
The resulting back pain sent her to the doctor, who ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Pusch, 23, of Mattawa was a little nervous at the thought of being enclosed in a dark tube with no way out.
But no worries. The hospital's new scanner has a 2-foot-plus opening that is spacious and lets in lots of light.
"The one I'd been in before was way too tight and dark," Pusch said. "To me that was very, very scary. This was a huge improvement, absolutely huge."
Memorial's MRI machine is one of two new options for doctors and their patients in the Yakima Valley. Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center also has a new state-of-the art MRI scanner. Each machine costs between $1.5 million and $2 million.
The latest technology means convenience and comfort for patients and more sophisticated screening tools for physicians treating everything from broken backs to brain tumors. Better pictures mean better diagnosis and treatment.
But with two new scanners in the Valley, patients may ask: What's the difference Which one is better
Both hospitals -- which are notoriously competitive -- are touting their technology, complicating things for patients trying to educate themselves about MRI technology.
But a neutral expert says there is a bottom line.
"They are both excellent systems," said Bart Pierce, a radiation technologist in Corvallis, Ore., who is often asked to explain MRI technology to the news media by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, based in Albuquerque, N.M.
"They are both going to do a superb job."
That said, Pierce identified two differences.
Memorial's Espree, manufactured by Siemens, an international health-care company based in Germany, is better suited to larger patients who also suffer from claustrophobia. It was installed in March.
Regional's Avanto, also made by Siemens, has the edge when it comes to high-resolution, detailed images of the cardiovascular system, Pierce said.
For Regional, the only hospital in town that can perform open-heart surgery, such as valve replacement, the Avanto was the only choice, said Jim Benoit, director of radiology.
Regional's scanner, in place since January, was installed near the emergency room so patients suffering from stroke or trauma can be quickly diagnosed.
"Time is everything in trauma," Benoit said.
MRI technology in general gives physicians a much greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body than conventional X-rays or computed tomography, or CT, scans. Instead of radiation, MRI uses magnetic fields to produce pictures.
While the Avanto also has a larger opening, or bore, than traditional scanners, making it more comfortable for larger patients, the Espree can handle up to 550 pounds. In fact, Memorial recently scanned a patient weighing 490 pounds.
The Avanto calls it quits at 440 pounds.
Patient comfort is key because it's imperative that they remain still; patient movement can blur the image and require another costly scan.
Mike Klippert, director of imaging services at Memorial, said another big advantage for hospital patients is that they no longer have to be sent off campus to a separate imaging center. The hospital formerly scanned all of its patients at Valley Imaging, which is more than 10 blocks away.
"It's a big deal having an MRI right here in the hospital, especially for ER patients," Klippert said.
The new scanners aren't just about hardware, of course. The hospitals have purchased different software programs, which will also differentiate the services they deliver.
At Memorial, neurosurgeons are excited about being able to see the biochemistry of spinal and brain tumors, which will help in diagnosis and treatment.
At Regional, they will have the ability to map the brain by function. For example, a neurosurgeon treating epilepsy can locate the seizure center of the brain and remove only the affected parts.
All the new scanning capacity is keeping both hospitals busy.
"We're cranking," said Ann Goodrich, MRI supervisor at Memorial.
--Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.
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