A new magnetic resonance imaging unit has arrived at University Hospital of Northern B.C.
The unit is being housed in a mobile unit while a new suite for the MRI is constructed over the next three-to-four months. UNHBC's existing MRI has been in operation for 14 years.
Although state of the art at the time it was put in place at the hospital, advancements in technology since then mean the new MRI will provide significantly-enhanced diagnostic capabilities.
The replacement is the first part of an overall strategy that will also see new MRI units in Terrace and Fort St. John.
“Not only is the new UHNBC MRI a great addition, but so are the additional MRI units throughout the north,” said Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris. “They will help to reduce MRI wait times, and improve medical imaging services across the region.”
MRIs use a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. Muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and other joint structures are often best seen with an MRI and, in those instances, are regarded as superior to an X-ray, ultrasound, or CT scan.
Purchased from Siemens Healthcare, the replacement costs $2.86 million with the provincial government providing $1.72 million and the Fraser Fort George Regional Hospital District $1.14 million.
The mobile unit is located on the UHNBC campus near the Nechako Centre on Alward Street.
