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EPIC Imaging Acquires First Upright, Multi-Positional Open MRI in Oregon

March 19, 2007. Portland, OR.--Eighty percent of all Americans will suffer from back pain during their lives. Back pain is the leading cause of disability for individuals under the age of forty-five and accounts for the majority of workers' compensation claims.

A revolutionary Upright Open MRI acquired by EPIC Imaging promises to help provide physicians with the best tool to date for pinpointing the cause of back pain as well as other spinal syndromes in which gravity and weight exert an influence. "For the first time we have an MRI with maximum flexibility relative to patient positioning. That means we can now image the problem as the patient is experiencing it, be it standing, bending, sitting or lying down," explains Dr. Gerald L. Warnock, Medical Director of EPIC Imaging. "This information is invaluable for surgical planning and developing treatment strategies."

The significance of a weight-bearing, physiologic scan adds a new dimension to MR imaging. In the vast majority of spinal syndromes, symptoms are generally most severe with standing, bending or walking. In the reverse, symptoms are often relieved when the patient is lying down. The inability of conventional, single position MRI's to provide a dynamic evaluation of precisely what is happening when the patient is in a weight bearing position is solved using the Upright system. Research clearly demonstrates the power of this new information to change treatment strategies.

"One of the most difficult conditions to visualize in supine MRI is Chiari malformation," explains Dr. Warnock. This is easily seen with the Upright. We will also be able to visualize knee meniscal subluxation easily, as well as the effects of gravity on standing feet and ankles."

Perhaps one of the most innovative uses for EPIC Imaging's new Upright MRI is in the area of women's imaging, specifically pelvic support disorders. These can include urinary and fecal incontinence; prolapse of the uterus or bladder; bulging of rectum or intestines; or a combination of several of these problems. The Upright MRI will provide a dynamic window into the pelvic organs under stress helping to pinpoint exactly which weakened structures are responsible for the symptoms.

The design of the Upright MRI is so open the patient can literally walk in. Claustrophobia is simply not an issue. The Upright MRI is manufactured by Fonar, the company that introduced the first commercially available MRI ever made. EPIC expects to begin seeing patients on the Upright Open as early as July.

The acquisition of the first Upright MRI scanner in Oregon is another in a long line of firsts for EPIC Imaging. The facility has long been a leader in bringing groundbreaking imaging technology to the Pacific Northwest. From the first non-hospital based CT way back in 1982 to installing and operating an MRI scanner for nearly a year before any local hospital acquired the technology, EPIC has remained committed to ensuring Oregonians have access to the most advanced technology. More recent examples of this commitment were the first digital mammography units and the first dedicated PET scanner to the Northwest.