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Computer Aided Detection (CAD) technology is now available at RIA sites to assist our Board Certified Radiologists in the review and interpretation of Breast MRI procedures. This CAD system called DynaCAD provides an extensive set of image analysis and interventional procedure planning tools to enhance the diagnostic process.
Breast MRI has become a valuable imaging procedure used in the detection of breast cancer. With dedicated breast coils and DynaCAD technology, our radiologists have tools to detect lesions that may not be visible using mammography or ultrasound, and to offer interventional procedures such as MRI guided biopsy and wire localization to support early and more accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Because an accurate diagnosis is essential to effective treatment, it is often necessary to biopsy tissue for microscopic evaluation. RIA’s MRI Guided Breast Biopsy Program utilizes the precision of MRI with a dedicated breast coil and DynaCAD guidance tools to allow our radiologists to obtain the needed tissue. MRI guided needle biopsy is an outpatient procedure that is less invasive than surgical biopsy, requires only a local anesthetic, and can be completed in less than one hour.
Breast MRI is used to:
- Determine the extent and stage of breast cancer - surgical planning
- Detect occult cancer
- Characterize lesions judged as indeterminate on mammography or sonography
- Allow an additional assessment for patients at high risk of developing breast cancer
- Evaluate silicone implant integrity and detect cancer in women with breast augmentation
- Monitor cancer therapy, and for pre-op and post-op evaluation
Contact any of the RIA centers for more information or for scheduling.
With the recent opening of Radiology Imaging Associate's third Loudoun location, residents no longer have to travel outside of the county to take advantage of the benefits of state-of-the- art Open magnetic resonance imaging.
The Open MRI machine at the new 12,000 square-foot imaging center at Lansdowne Office Park is one of the first units of this type in the United States, according to Dr. Joseph Finizio, president and CEO of the company. "We put it in because this is a high-field strength magnet. Basically, magnets come in various strengths; the lower the strength, the less optimal the image is. That is one of the reasons why we would not install an open magnet in the practice until this particular product became available. It is the strongest open magnet on the market right now," he said.
The device is particularly useful for patients who would be uncomfortable in a traditional enclosed MRI, such as those who have weight issues or are claustrophobic. Families also benefit from the availability of the new system, since parents can go into the room with a child. "It's just much more patient-friendly," Finizio said.
Obtaining the device required getting the approval from state regulators, as well as the local medical community. "We have had the doctors wanting outpatient services in the Lansdowne area," where the majority of the county's physicians practice, said Finizio, a former chairman of radiology at the hospital. "The doctors wanted a convenient service area and facility."
Along with the Open MRI, the latest in medical equipment is used at the Lansdowne center. Finizio plans to integrate another MRI at the practice's other Lansdowne location, next to the hospital, sometime in the future. Besides the separate MRI suite, the spacious office contains an ultrasound suite, CAT scanner, and a separate women's center with digital mammography.
"The last thing [female patients who may be worried about breast cancer and other serious illnesses] want is to be in a general area where children are jumping up and down, or things of that nature. I think having women separated is very reasonable, and I think it's very compassionate," Finizio said.
Space at the center is also available for conferences, meetings, and training. Well designed and easily accessed from the interior and exterior of the building, the office offers patients a calm, soothing environment. "This is a product of many years of us learning what would make the best office configuration," Finizio said.
Those years of experience come from operating the practice's other locations including the Sterling office, where a comprehensive array of diagnostic imaging services, including nuclear medicine, is offered.
Besides featuring new equipment, the Sterling center also recently launched a noninvasive cardiac program that can perform new tests for coronary artery disease more safely and for thousands of dollars less than traditional exams. “We are so excited because cardiac CT is becoming more and more understood. It’s going to become a very powerful tool.” Finizio said. “You can really get definitive information from essentially one breath-hold.”
Physicians and patients in the region will soon have access to the latest-generation in open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and the only Open MRI in Loudoun County. The Panorama 1.0T Open MRI from Philips Medical Systems offers physicians high-field image quality for advanced applications, and features a completely open design that makes getting an MRI scan much more agreeable for patients. The Panorama MRI will serve more patients, more comfortably, and provide image quality that previously was only associated with high-field MRI systems with cylindrical bore shapes.
The Panorama 1.0T MR system was delivered on 10/17/06 and will be installed and ready for operation in early December within a spacious, new outpatient center at 19455 Deerfield Avenue, Suite 102, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 in the Lansdowne Office Park. RIA will also provide the latest digital mammography technology, Bone Densitometry (DXA), and ultrasonography within a private women’s area, along with x-ray and fluoroscopy imaging.
Radiology Imaging Associates at Heritage now offers PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) - a powerful imaging tool that is proven effective in the staging, localization and evaluation of:
Breast Cancer
Alzheimer's Disease
Colorectal Cancer
Cervical Cancer |
Malignant Melanoma
Lung Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
Heart Muscle Viability |
Esophageal Cancer
Head and Neck Tumors
Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma |
PET imaging may help you and your doctor make the smartest decisions about your care for any of the conditions noted. PET shows metabolic activity within the body, which in some cases provides answers that other imaging tests cannot provide. It may be used to stage the extent of the disease, detect recurrent disease before it spreads, and evaluate response to treatment.
Exams are non-invasive and more comfortable as our Philips Gemini PET/CT system's open gantry allows our staff to interact with patients every step of the way.
Contact Radiology Imaging Associates at Heritage at (301) 856-3670 to find out how you may benefit from PET/CT imaging.
Radiology Imaging Associates at Sterling, located in Sterling, Virginia, has launched a new cardiovascular CT service using the advanced, 64-slice Brilliance CT imaging system from Philips Medical Systems. Brilliance CT produces simultaneous 64-slice computed tomography (CT) images every half second and offers physicians and patients dramatic advantages in speed, accuracy and the early detection of disease.
Traditionally, the evaluation of the heart and coronary arteries is done using cardiac catheterization, an invasive procedure involving a catheter that is threaded through a blood vessel in your arm or groin and into your heart. It can be a very risky procedure and involves the administration of drugs and potentially a hospital stay.
Radiology Imaging Associates at Sterling can now perform a state-of-the-art, non-invasive, pain free computed tomography exam (CT) exam to evaluate the risk of heart disease without any of the risks associated with heart catheterization. RIA at Sterling is pleased to offer this valuable, and often life-saving, procedure to the community.
Radiology Imaging Associates at Pembrooke, located in Waldorf, Maryland, has launched a new cardiovascular CT service using the advanced 40-Slice Brilliance CT imaging system from Philips Medical Systems. Brilliance CT produces simultaneous 40-slice computed tomography (CT) images every half second and offers physicians and patients dramatic advantages in speed, accuracy and the early detection of disease.
Traditionally, the evaluation of the heart and the coronary arteries is done using cardiac catheterization, an invasive procedure involving a catheter that is threaded through a blood vessel in your arm or groin and into your heart. It can be a very risky procedure and involves the administration of drugs and potentially a stay in the hospital.
Radiology Imaging Associates at Pembrooke can now perform a state-of-the-art, non-invasive, pain-free computed tomography (CT) exam to evaluate the risk of heart disease without any of the risks associated with heart catheterization. RIA at Pembrooke is pleased to offer this valuable, and often life-saving, procedure to the community.
Radiology Imaging Associates is proud to announce that patients and physicians can now access the latest-generation magnetic resonance imaging scanner, the Intera Achieva 1.5T system from Philips Medical Systems, at their Clinton, MD and Sterling, VA imaging centers.
The Intera Achieva 1.5T MR system combines unparalleled speed and outstanding image quality in a patient-friendly anti-claustrophobic design. With its high quality thin-slice acquisition, even soft tissue and small features, such as wrists, fingers, toes and feet can all be seen in real time with a high level of patient comfort. Adding to a complete array of routine MR imaging studies such as brain, spine, abdomen, pelvis, knee and shoulder, the new system also provides superb MRA (magnetic resonance angiography) studies for definitive vascular disease assessment. Significantly decreased exam times enable some exams to be completed in as little as 5 – 8 minutes.
The speed and quiet operation of the Intera Achieva 1.5T MR system, combined with its well-lit gantry, air controls, and music sound system with headphones, provides patients, including larger patients (up to 550 lbs.) and claustrophobic patients, with a fast and comfortable MR scan. More importantly, it provides physicians with the most definitive diagnostic information available for the evaluation and treatment of their patients.
a powerful imaging tool that is proven effective in the staging, localization and evaluation of:
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- Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
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PET imaging helps doctors make the smartest decisions about their patients' care and treatment for any of the conditions noted. PET shows metabolic activity within the body, which in some cases provides answers that other imaging tests cannot provide. It may be used to stage the extent of the disease, detect recurrent disease before it spreads, and evaluate response to treatment.
And, RIA at Pembrooke's state of the art Philips Gemini PET/CT system allows us to combine PET and CT images from one scan, leading to an even greater level of diagnostic confidence. Exams are non-invasive and more comfortable as the Gemini's open gantry allows our staff to interact with patients every step of the way.
RIA at Pembrooke PET/CT Scan Center is located in a new dedicated suite designed with patient comfort and convenience in mind. RIA at Pembrooke is proud to bring this latest advance in healthcare to the southern Maryland community.
RIA is pleased to announce that its Hologic Bone Density system has now been upgraded to include an imaging component called High Definition Instant Vertebral Assessment. The evaluation of bone health has become an essential component of women’s health. Expanding the tools needed for evaluating osteoporosis, RIA can now assess the two most important risk factors—low bone density and vertebral fracture.
This new technology provides an x-ray image of the spine as part of a normal bone density workup in a 10-second examination of the L4—T4 vertebrae. Imaging of the spine using a DEXA – based bone densitometer is an effective means for assessing the presence of vertebral fractures. This updated capability fills an important gap in diagnosis using bone densitometry that provides patients with a more thorough risk assessment so the best therapy options can be selected.
This updated capability fills an important gap in diagnosis using bone densitometry and is available at RIA’s comprehensive imaging centers in Waldorf, MD, Prince Frederick, MD, Clinton, MD, and Sterling, VA.
To view our previous news, please click on the dates below:
- April 2005 - Major MRI Upgrade at Patuxent
- April 2005 - Additional Ultrasound Scanner for Patuxent
- January 2005 - New-State-Of-The-Art Digital Fluoroscopy at Heritage
- January 2005 - Centralized Scheduling brings efficiencey, convenience
- August 2004 - State Certificate of Public Need (COPN) Awarded to Add CT scanner
- December 2003 - The Cutting-Edge in Ultrasound
- October 2003 - It's out with the old and in with the new at Pembrooke Imaging & MRI Center
- October 2003 - CAD for Mammography Introduced
- January 2003 - Debut of Radiology Imaging Associates PET Scan Center
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