BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EDGEWOOD -- The Kentucky Diagnostic Center in Edgewood has completed a $3 million renovation and expansion project that includes offering the only "open" magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in Northern Kentucky.
MRIs are used to diagnose a wide range of brain, knee, shoulder and other soft-tissue problems.
Open MRIs were designed as an alternative to traditional MRIs, which confine patients in a body-length tube for as long as an hour, depending on the area to be scanned.
The center, at 2904 Foltz Road, is an unusual joint venture launched in 1987 by the otherwise competitive St. Elizabeth Medical Center and the St. Luke hospitals. The concept was to bring the highest-tech diagnostic equipment to Northern Kentucky while avoiding a medical hardware arms race between the hospital groups.
The expansion project involved building an addition, then installing a new computer system and two new MRIs -- the open MRI and another unit that replaces the center's original machine with one three times more powerful.
The Kentucky Diagnostic Center started with one MRI machine, then added a second unit in 1991. Before adding the open MRI, the center was doing nearly 8,000 scans a year, said Sam Grippa, executive director.
Open MRIs have become popular among patients because the open sides reduce feelings of claustrophobia -- the fear of closed-in spaces.
About 5 percent of patients have claustrophobia strong enough that they cannot stand being inside a closed MRI, but a larger number of patients would prefer an open MRI if a unit were available, Mr. Grippa said.
However, there's a trade-off. Open MRIs are much less powerful than the latest closed MRIs. That means people may need to spend twice as long in an open MRI to get an image close to the quality of a closed unit, Mr. Grippa said.
With all the equipment up and running, the center has decided to celebrate with an open house. That event is set for 4 p.m. July 16.
