Ivinson Memorial Hospital underwent a major equipment upgrade to its Radiology and Imaging Department with the addition of a cutting-edge digital imaging system for fluoroscopy and radiography.

The new system is an integral part of the radiology department and offers more than the stand-alone fluoroscopy machine that IMH had previously.

“This is actually an advancement from what we had in the past,” says Susan Harnsberger, director of Radiology and Imaging. “This particular machine is a state of the art fluoroscopy machine that offers the highest resolution system available. It produces distortion free imaging of the body with allows the physician, the radiologist specifically, to better evaluate the structures of the body."

Fluoroscopy is a study of moving body systems and if one thinks of an x-ray as a digital photo, fluoroscopy is like a digital movie. It allows radiologists and physicians to view, on a TV monitor, dynamic body processes as they occur, for example; , contrast agent moving through the digestive tract or joints in motion.

The new digital imaging system at IMH is extremely patient-friendly with an open design that can accommodate patients of all sizes, children, and patients that are disabled or in a wheelchair. The new system offers high-resolution digital images within seconds while minimizing radiation dose. In addition, it is more comfortable, faster and more efficient, and maximizes patient safety.

“The single biggest advantage for the patient is the reduction in dose to the patient. With this new technology, it reduces the dose to the patient by as much as forty percent,” says Harnsberger.

The system not only benefits patients, but it also brings flexibility and ease of use to the hospital staff. If a patient requires the combination of fluoroscopy and radiography, the patient no longer has to change rooms and there are no delays to the work processes resulting in reduced examination times and shorter waiting times.

In addition, Harnsberger says the cost to the patient is the same as it was with the older technology.

Overall, Harnsberger says the hospital is thrilled to have the new technology in the Radiology and Imaging Department.

“We’re very excited at Ivinson Memorial Hospital to offer this level of technology here in the community,” says Harnsberger. “We’re very excited about the opportunities that it presents to our local physicians that we partner with and to the community.”

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