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Looking for Wide Bore 3 TESLA (3T) MRI in the South

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Posted 7/25/2014 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
Last Jan, I had a 3T MRI at VCU in Richmond that was negative. I would prefer to have the next MRI in a wide bore 3t MRI, but I'm not having much success finding a center that offers it. I need to have another MRI in Jan-Feb time frame.

I would prefer to have it done at a center in the South as I will be spending most of the winter there in my travel trailer. It makes no difference if it is in Texas or Florida or any place in between.

If anyone knows a center that uses the wide bore 3T MRI for prostate cancer screening, please post it. Not the standard 3T but the wide bore 3t. The wide bore is a little bigger around and your head remains outside the tube during the scan.
Posted 7/25/2014 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
There's a poster on the other site I frequent US Too Inspire.com with poster name Dave205 who posts all kinds of treatments by location threads there.

May want to join Inspire,com if not already a member and do a forum search on Dave205 or "wide bore 3T MRI".

LupronJim
Posted 7/26/2014 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Rich
I had a 3 tesla MRI at St Joseph's-Candler in Savannah in May. The machine was installed in fourth quarter of 2013. They claim it's the widest available and it's made by GE. Google it and you'll see the description of the unit and contact info. Good luck!
Posted 7/26/2014 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
If your head was inside the tube, it was not a wide bore mri.

Just checked the web site and it is a wide bore. In the regular 3t mri, my head was just inside the tube and I had to fight claustrophobia all the time I was in the MRI. My understanding is with the wide bore, your head would be a little outside the tube, Was that the case?

Post Edited (richh) : 7/25/2014 7:22:26 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/26/2014 7:12 AM (GMT 0)
Looks like you can do a Google on side bore MRI and get lots of hits. First one had a good explanation but was in Pittsburgh and failed the South test.

This one is in MS

www.southernneuroandspine.com/services/wide-bore-mri.html

LupronJim
Posted 7/26/2014 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Rich. Sorry I can't help you with your search for a wide MRI. I noticed that you said you had a MRI at VCU on a 3T machine. I have been researching mpMRI sites close to my home in NC and VCU is one of the places that I have contacted for information. I was told that they use a 1.5T. Based on your post I need to call them and get clarification.

JackH started a thread to compile information about mpMRI, titled mp-mri thread. If you get an answer to your question on the wide MRI, please post an update there. Thanks, and good luck on finding the MRI you want.
Posted 7/26/2014 11:55 AM (GMT 0)
My 3T MRI was at Vanderbilt University Hospital. My head was a little outside the bore, and with some effort I could see the room above me. It wasn't claustrophobic for me, though fortunately that's at least one issue I don't have so may not be a good judge of it.

I don't know if it's a "wide bore" per se, but you could possibly contact them and ask. Vanderbilt is in downtown Nashville.
Posted 7/26/2014 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
VCU is XX for the MRI. Correction - VCU has 1.5T, not 3T.

I recommend them highly. My only problem is the claustrophobia! For most of the MRI, I could see a sliver of ceiling which really helped, but there were times I moved a few more inches into the bore and couldn't.

Post Edited (richh) : 7/28/2014 10:52:55 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/26/2014 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Richh -- Central Park Imaging in Austin, TX has one. I have a friend who's daughter works there. She says they also do digital contrast, so no IVs.

-- Tigerfan
Posted 7/26/2014 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
I couldn't find anything on their web site that indicated they did prostate mri's. Ideally, I want a center that can do the prostate mri and then the mri guided biopsy if necessary. I will add them to my list to check out if I can't find someone that does both.

Thanks
Posted 7/27/2014 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
Richh
I had pelvic MRI on 3 tesla machine in Savannah at St Joseph's Candler in advance of and while being set up for SRT to see if any PCa could be found. The opening on the machine looked more like a cat scan it was so large . Nice!
Bob
Posted 7/27/2014 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
The physics of MRI machine means that the narrower the bore of the machine (the closer the magnet is to you), the higher the resolution of the scan. Wouldn't it make sense to use a regular 3 Tesla machine but take a sedative, like lorazepam, to deal with the claustrophobia?
Posted 7/28/2014 3:01 PM (GMT 0)

richh said...
VCU is 3T for the MRI. I recommend them highly. My only problem is the claustrophobia! For most of the MRI, I could see a sliver of ceiling which really helped, but there were times I moved a few more inches into the bore and couldn't.

If MRI indicates cancer and you need to have a biopsy, they use a different MRI and I don't know if that one is 3t or 1.5t.

I called VCU today (7/28/14) to confirm their MRI capabilities. I was told by a tech that they use 1.5T for mpMRI. I pushed back a little based on your actual experience there, but he insisted he knew what they use. He gave me Dr Yu's number and suggested I call him. Dr Yu is the chief radiologist there. Dr Yu was kind enough to talk with me and confirmed that they use 1.5T for the multi parametric MRI. He believes using the endorectal coil with the 1.5T gives just as good images as the 3.0T.

He interprets the images immediately and lets the patient know if he needs to stay over for the next day biopsy. If he does need the biopsy, Dr YU does it himself using the images from the previous day.
Posted 7/28/2014 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
I stand corrected. If I had realized it was 1.5T, I probably wouldn't have had the MRI there, but the experience was fine and they were easy to work with. All in all, I'm glad I went there. I really can't explain how I made such an obvious mistake. I will try to correct my post(s) if I can still edit.
Posted 7/28/2014 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Richh -- I checked with Central Park Imaging in Austin this morning ...

* they do prostate MRIs on their 3T

* they do MRI guided prostate biopsies

* their 3T is a Wide Bore machine

And even though wide bore, for claustrophobic patients they recommend a mild sedative like Xanax.

-- Tigerfan
Posted 7/28/2014 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks tigerfan.
Posted 7/29/2014 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Richh. You may be right after all about the VCU Tesla strength. After Dr Yu told me they use MRI 1.5T, I spoke with someone in radiology about scheduling a MRI. During the discussion I asked him if it was Tesla 1.5 or 3.0. He said 3.0. Your chief radiologist doesn't think it's 3.0, I said. Neither does one of the MRI techs who does the mpMRI. They both told me it is 1.5T. Why do you think they would say that, I asked? I can't answer that, he replied, I know it's a 3.0 we use.
Posted 7/29/2014 11:45 AM (GMT 0)
hrpufnstuf,

I believe that the MRI they use for prostate screening is 3T and MRI they use for biopsy is 1.5T. The prostate screening is done at Stony Point and the biopsy is done at VCU downtown.

I sent you an email with VCU contact info.

Post Edited (richh) : 7/29/2014 6:03:42 AM (GMT-6)

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