​UPMC Horizon Upgrades Imaging Equipment at Both Hospital Campuses

FARRELL, December 13, 2012– A renovated mammography suite at the Greenville campus and a new wide bore magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit at the Shenango Valley campus are two of the latest offerings from the Imaging Services Department at UPMC Horizon.

The addition of digital mammography at the Greenville campus prompted the department renovation, which features, along with new carpeting and furniture, private dressing rooms stocked with comfortable white waffle-weave robes and a kitchenette with a coffee brewing station. The new space is designed to be tranquil and peaceful for patients awaiting mammograms.

The mammography department has been accredited by the American College of Radiology since 1987, and employs experienced mammography-certified technologists. In addition, the radiologists on UPMC Horizon’s medical staff boast nearly a century of experience combined.

“We have an outstanding group of experienced technologists and radiologists, and our patients can be assured that not only will they have a comfortable and private space when they come to UPMC Horizon for a mammogram, they also will have a quality team guiding them through their testing and interpreting their results,” says Scott Pickering, MD, medical director of imaging services at UPMC Horizon.

With the department renovation and upgrade to digital mammography, UPMC Horizon will consolidate all mammography services in Greenville at the hospital and cease mammography at Greenville Medical Center-UPMC, at the end of December. The hospital also offers digital mammography at the Womancare Center of UPMC Horizon in Hermitage.

The MRI unit addresses two important factors: patient comfort and superior imaging quality. The Optima MR450w, a GE Healthcare product, is open on both ends, accommodating those with claustrophobia and patients weighing up to 500 pounds while offering outstanding diagnostic images. It also performs faster scans than traditional MRI units; a standard head examination is 50 percent faster on the Optima MR450w than on older units.

“In the past we accepted the known trade-offs of reduced image quality, longer scan times and limited access to advanced imaging capabilities for a more comfortable imaging environment for the patient,” says Jim Wilkosz, MRI and radiology informatics specialist at UPMC Horizon. “That is no longer the case, as we now offer wide field comfort with improved image quality, faster scan times, and access to the most recent advances in MRI scanning sequences.”

The system is equipped with technology designed specifically for breast, spine, liver, and vascular imaging. In addition, three-dimensional capability to assist with radiation treatment planning makes the new MRI unit an excellent complement to the radiation oncology department of the UPMC CancerCenter at UPMC Horizon, also located at the Shenango Valley campus. Other features include motion suppression software, which reduces the likelihood of failed exams if the patient moves, and advanced surface coil design to scanning of the head, neck, chest, and spine without repositioning the patient.

For more information about imaging services at UPMC Horizon, visit www.upmchorizon.com.