Facilities
Most of our imaging facilities are located the northwest quadrant of the medical center's third floor. Additional systems (extremity MRI and one of the mobile MR units) are found on the second floor; in the Doctor's Office Building (DXA, Mammography screening and tomosynthesis clinical trials); and in the Emergency Department. Research facilities are found at the medical school, and in various locations in the medical center.
Technology
Upgrading and expanding imaging systems are an ongoing priority and are essential to all areas of our mission: state-of-the-art equipment improves diagnostic accuracy and procedural outcomes, improves efficiencies, improves patient safety and comfort, and enhances teaching and research. We currently have the GE Discovery™ MR750 3T, a new GE Discovery™ HDX 1.5T system, an upgraded GE Signa Twin Speed 1.5T, and the ONI Medical Systems’ MSK Extreme™ 1.5T scanner. In addition, the department maintains the Philips Achieva 3T research MR system used in the Advanced Imaging Center. Our ultrasound equipment consists of five Philips HDI scanners, two Philips iU22 systems, and four Siemens Antares™ units. The four-room angiography suite for VIR procedures includes two GE single-plane angiography systems, a GE Advantx™ LCN biplane unit, and a new (Jan. 2009) Siemens Axiom Artiszee™ biplane system that facilitates a range of interventional neuroradiology procedures. The Nuclear Imaging Division utilizes four scanning systems: the Siemens Symbia T6™ SPECT-CT unit (Feb. 2009); the GE Infinia Hawkeye SPECT/CT; the GE Discovery ST™ PET-CT; and a Marconi IRIX Gamma Camera. CT systems include: two GE Lightspeed 16-slice scanners, and a GE Lightspeed VCT 64-slice system. In early 2009 we expanded our capacities in CT-guided interventions with the Siemens Somatom Definition™ AS system; offering multiplanar fluoroscopic reconstruction and merged 3D/real-time imaging, this versatile 40-slice scanner is used for a range of image-guided percutaneous interventions. Mammography screening and diagnostic studies are conducted on five Hologic Selenia™ full-field digital mammography systems. Biopsies are performed using a Selenia MultiCare™ Platinum stereotactic biopsy system. Breast-MR exams and interventions utilize a Sentinelle™ Breast MR Auxiliary Table with 8-channel coil array. A new (2009) Hologic™ tomosynthesis system is used for clinical studies.
Picture archive and communication system (PACS)
Our recently upgraded picture archiving and communications system (PACS) is at the heart of the radiology information system (RIS) which has been developed over the past several decades to support the department’s clinical mission. John Sundnas, RIS/PACS Administrator, heads a team responsible for maintaining all aspects of imaging information acquisition, processing, utilization and storage, and for anticipating future information systems needs in an environment of increasingly complex imaging systems. Recent accomplishments include: extending our RIS and PACS to the Hitchcock Clinic facilities in southern New Hampshire; the implementation of a system to effectively upload, store and integrate patient studies from outside institutions conveyed to us on CD or DVD; and significant progress toward the introduction of a speech-recognition system for automatic transcription of exam dictations. Hospitals and Health Networks magazine ranks us among the nation’s “most wired” hospitals—a recognition of the ongoing institutional commitment to informatics, toward which the Radiology RIS/PACS team remains a key contributor. The department relies on software systems provided by various developers and systems manufacturers, which include: GE Centricity RIS-IC, Philips iSite PACS, 3D and post-processing systems including GE Advantage Workstation (AWW), Visage Imaging, Vital Images, and Prism Clinical Imaging (for fMRI), AS Software for structured reporting, and SpaceTrax interventional inventory management.
Staff
The radiology department is staffed with 190 technical, nursing, secretarial, and clerical staff members, and 35 radiologists. In 2009, the Department completed more than 250,000 studies in the seven imaging modalities, including MR, CT, Nuclear Medicine, Mammography, Routine Radiography, VIR, and Ultrasound.
Teaching and conference facilities
The Department's teaching and conference facilities include access to the PACS, satellite broadcasts, live teleconferencing, and digital presentation capabilities.
