MRI Upgrade Gives Hospital “Essentially a Brand New Scanner”
Published Monday, March 10, 2025
Thanks to community support, the 1.5T MRI will be upgraded to enhance imaging and patient care.
Technology is tricky. Yes, you want to have the best technology available – which is why we want to upgrade our cellphones every few years. But MRIs cost millions of dollars and can't simply be traded in.
For example, our current 1.5T MRI – the workhorse of the MRI program – is almost 12 years old now. Normally, that would be considered nearing its end of useful service. However, staff at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre's Diagnostic Imaging department found a way to upgrade the unit without replacing it – and at only half the cost.
With the help of your donations to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation and your Thunder Bay 50/50 ticket purchases, these upgrades will be possible.
“We are essentially getting a brand new scanner,” said Katherine (Kati) Tuomi, Manager of Diagnostic Imaging. Software upgrades are relatively common, but what makes this upgrade fairly unique is that it includes replacing all hardware components of the scanner as well, except for the magnet itself.
New imaging components mean that the MRI can create sharper images at higher definition so that doctors can see problem areas more clearly. The technology may help reduce imaging time for some scans as well.
One way the unit helps boost image quality is through tiny sensors built into the bed, which monitor heartbeat and breathing. Patients must stay still during scans including holding their breath. This can be difficult, especially during longer scans. The upgraded software takes information from the sensors and adjusts for those small movements during imaging to give even sharper images.
Another huge benefit to upgrading is that it's faster than installing a whole new unit. That's important because MRIs at the Hospital already run 16-hours per day, 7 days per week with at least an additional 5 days of midnight shifts scheduled to keep up with demand. In total, Diagnostic Imaging scans about 16,000 patients per year with MRI, providing 3,500 scans per month. Around 45 per cent of those are on the 1.5T MRI unit, so any downtime will have an impact on patient scans.
Even more reason to upgrade now, Tuomi said.
“The unit was getting to the age where breakdowns could start happening, delaying patient scans,” Tuomi said. “Planning for the downtime and extending the life of the unit another 10 years is ultimately much better for patient care.”
These upgrades all come thanks to your support of the Health Sciences Foundation. Every year, the Foundation funds projects like this to improve patient care for patients across Northwestern Ontario. Currently, Thunder Bay is the only site with MRI units from Winnipeg to Sault Ste. Marie. Your donations and Thunder Bay 50/50 tickets helped ensure patients across the region have access to high-quality MRI imaging when they need it.
“This upgrade will benefit a large number of people,” Tuomi said.
Article by Graham Strong