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OVERCAST Temp: 58 °F Wind: SE at 23 mph Thursday, December 12, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 27, 2002 Radiology technologist Linda Jones, left, prepares patient Tina Rutkowski of Central Point for a scan inside at Medford Radiology�s newest MRI device. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Picture perfect solution Medford medical agencies combine forces to buy diagnostic equipment By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune A sparkling white semi-trailer in east Medford holds one of the most sophisticated medical diagnostic tools in Southern Oregon. Moored behind Medford Radiology at 692 Murphy Road, the remodeled trailer houses a powerful new magnetic resonance imaging device that will improve physicians’ ability to diagnose strokes, cancer and other conditions. "The pictures are clearer," said radiologist Dr. Mack Bandler. "We can pick up abnormalities sooner." Bandler is president of Oregon Advanced Imaging, a new joint venture that will bring two more new MRIs to Medford during the next few months. Medford’s two hospitals and the radiology group formed the joint enterprise to acquire the MRIs as well as another high-tech image-maker known as a PET (for "positron emission technology") scanner. The arrangement carries on a relationship that began years ago when the three partners formed Southern Oregon Imaging to bring high-tech imaging equipment into the Rogue Valley. "Even though we’re tough competitors in some areas, it’s made sense to cooperate," said Chuck Wright, Providence Health System’s chief executive for Southern Oregon. MRIs use powerful magnetic fields to make cross-sectional pictures of the body, like ultra-thin slices of cheese. The more powerful the magnets, the more detailed the images. The new machines have magnets 50 percent more powerful than the devices they will replace. Physicians will be able to see abnormalities as small as 5 millimeters (less than ¼ inch) rather than 1 centimeter (about inch). "It sees small things easier and better," Bandler said. PET scans use cancer cells’ appetite for sugar to ferret out tumors. All human cells consume glucose and other simple sugars, but cancer cells metabolize glucose faster than healthy cells. When a patient is injected with the tagged sugar solution, cancer cells grab more of it than healthy cells. The cancer cells pick up the radioactive tracer, too. A scanner sees the radioactive tracers and converts the information into a three-dimensional picture on a computer screen. Tumors show up as bright "hot spots." The three partners will split the $8 million bill for the equipment in shares roughly proportionate to their share of the imaging market in Southern Oregon. Rogue Valley Medical Center will assume about 43.5 percent of the cost; Providence Medford Medical Center, 38.5 percent; and Medford Radiology, 18 percent. Sharing the costs allows the partners to bring the Rogue Valley technology such as the PET scanner that none could afford individually, said Scott Kelly, vice president for planning, marketing and business development of Asante Health System (RVMC’s parent organization). "One of the reasons you collaborate is to make sure you can bring state-of-the-art technology to the community," Kelly said. The PET scanner is scheduled to arrive in January. Housed on wheels, it will rotate between the two hospital campuses. The hospitals’ new MRIs are scheduled to go to work by mid-2003. Eventually, the partners probably will find a permanent site for the PET scanner and the trailered MRI "somewhere between the two campuses," Bandler said. The new MRIs feature a more "open" design that should be less oppressive for patients who tend to feel claustrophobic in tight spaces. "The magnets are much shorter, and flare open on both ends," Bandler said. "It’s less constricting." He said the new MRIs’ greater power will make them the "tool of choice" when physicians want detailed views of patients who have multiple sclerosis, seizures or other chronic conditions. They’ll also help doctors make a quicker diagnosis when a patient has stroke-like symptoms. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S