Anyone who has experienced a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session knows the feeling.
The technology, used by physicians to create detailed images of almost every internal structure within the human body, involves being strapped down and inserted into a narrow cylinder that feels like it’s barely large enough to fit your body, and laying motionless while intermittent pops, whirls and bangs from the machine permeate the tiny space.
For those with even the slightest claustrophobia, it can be a nightmare. So much so that technicians often offer sedatives before the test.
But help has arrived.
One of the world’s most advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners on the market today, the new Siemens Magnetom Free.Max MRI, is now available in the Fox Valley.
“The new MRI will allow for a greater patient experience, making it more comfortable for patients,” said Fox Valley Orthopedic’s CEO John Brady, “We’re excited to bring this advanced technology to the Chicago northwest suburbs.”
Fox Valley Orthopedics, one of the leading orthopedic medicine groups in the region, now offers the new 80 cm wide-bore system that sets a new paradigm in patient comfort while providing high-resolution images for better diagnostics.
The Magnetom Free.Max combines technological advances in artificial intelligence digitalization at a 0.55 Tesla field strength, enabling a wider range of clinical applications for imaging. It offers the largest cylindrical MRI opening to date at 80 centimeters (cm) wide compared to the normal 60 to 70 cm and is quieter than many legacy MRI machines.
With DryCool technology, the Magnetom Free.Max MRI magnet design requires less than 1 liter of helium, contributing to reduced infrastructure. This allows the scanning bed to be lower for greater patient accessibility and ease. In addition, Siemens’ Deep Resolve algorithms perform targeted denoising and employ deep learning to deliver sharper, higher-resolution images.
Earlier this year, FVO’s Elgin-Royal location underwent major renovations in preparation for the new Magnetom Free.Max MRI. This included expanding the MRI area and waiting room, in addition to creating a more relaxing patient environment.
