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A new, high-tech tool is being used to diagnose patients at St. Vincent.
St. Vincent Hospital Carmel is the first in the state to receive an Open Upright MRI. The open design eliminates that claustrophobic feeling as technicians take images.
Doctors like it because they can better diagnose pain like lower back pain when patients are upright, compressed or in the weight bearing position that causes the pain.
"For those of us that do spine surgery it's a huge deal because we're able to image people's spine column in areas of stress; in other words, when they are upright. In the past when we did MRI's they are supine and unfortunately people don't have a whole lot of complaints when they are lying down," said Dr. James Hardacker, The Spine Institute at St. Vincent, Carmel.
It's the same for pain in the knee or ankle. The open structure is ideal for obese patients up to 500 pounds.
All can watch a big flat screen TV through the 30- to 60-minute scanning process. Doctors say this is they way we'll do most MRI's in the future.
