OrthoArkansas physicians use the best diagnostic imaging technology available to identify injury or disease. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to get detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. A fast and efficient way to spot bone fractures is X-ray, a tried and true technology discovered more than a century ago. If a more refined picture is needed, Bone Scan nuclear technology is another choice. Our physicians use Bone Densitometry, another form of nuclear medicine, to check for the bone disease osteoporosis.

Major Little Rock radiology groups read our images. Radiology Associates and Radiology Consultants receive exams online through a dedicated T1 computer line. Physicians may request readings from either group, and referring physicians may consult with any of our OrthoArkansas physicians about their patients' cases at no additional charge.

Features that separate your OrthoArkansas imaging appointment from the typical institutional experience:

• Easily accessible separate entrance, with convenient parking
• Minimal paperwork at check-in
• Comfortable "living room" atmosphere in the waiting and scan rooms
• Chart-sized samples of images from the exam printed on high quality laser paper or as transparencies at no additional charge
• Referring physicians may request hard copies of any scan

Details of OrthoArkansas state-of-the art diagnostic imaging methods follow.

MRI

Enter the MRI Department from the back parking lot. The MRI entrance is on the lower level, west side (Aldersgate Road side) at the canopy marked MRI.

OrthoArkansas offers a less confining MRI experience for our patients than more traditional facilities because we use the latest version of the GE 1.0T Horizon Lx, designed much shorter and wider than earlier models. We also use other state-of-the-art equipment to focus on specific parts of the body. A new shoulder apparatus and a newly designed elbow/wrist coil allow detailed examinations of anatomy unmatched by other MRI facilities.

Our MRI unit is furnished with the most advanced GE model Signa Horizon 1.0T MRI scanner on the market, which provides amazingly detailed images.

X-Ray

Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of X-rays in Germany in 1895 started the diagnostic imaging revolution. Simply stated, in the X-ray process electromagnetic waves pass through a patient's body to photographic film on the other side to capture a radiograph, or a photo, of internal anatomy. The X-ray machine has continuously and dramatically improved in the century since its first invention, and today is still a dependable and effective tool in use by OrthoArkansas physicians.

Bone Scan

For a bone scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into the patient, and then the imaging camera traces it to determine if there is any unusual bone activity. The scan can show the condition of bones after injuries or diseases such as fractures, bone infections, tumors, arthritis, types of bone cancer and other bone abnormalities.

OrthoArkansas uses the state-of-the-art GE Millennium MG Dual Rectangular Dual Head Gamma Camera. Advantages of the system include:

• Simultaneous front and back projections
• Open design, with an extra-wide table comfortable for all patients
• Fast, digital system that produces superb image quality

Osteoporosis Screening

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Osteoporosis, a disease in which the gradual loss of calcium causes bones to become thinner, more fragile, and more likely to break, affects women and men, but the disease can be prevented and treated. Certain risk factors can make the bone loss of osteoporosis more likely in some individuals, and Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeons at OrthoArkansas can evaluate your personal risks. Our surgeons are experts at measuring bone density and strength, and their experience with diagnosing and treating the complications of osteoporosis puts them in a superior position to identify osteoporosis at early stages.

We use the state of the art DEXA Scan (Dual-energy X-ray Absortiometry) that offers these special qualities:

• Low radiation
• Precise measurement of bone-mineral density (BMD)
• Detection of fracture risk and patient response to therapy