Cedar City Hospital’s Imaging Upgrades Make Health Checks Easier

Medical imaging plays a vital role in diagnosing and monitoring a wide range of health conditions, and the imaging department at Intermountain Cedar City Hospital offers a broad range of technologies to serve patients in the region. During a recent interview on the Big Picture Morning Show on KSUB Radio, Imaging Manager Tracy Patrick and Nuclear Medicine Technologist Shaye Jackson discussed the services available locally and some recent improvements that expand access to advanced imaging.

Patrick explained that the hospital’s imaging department includes numerous diagnostic tools designed to capture different types of medical information. “We have lots of different things going on in the imaging department. We have the MRI, like you said. We have CT. We have X-ray. We do fluoro and x-ray. We do portables and OR surgeries with the x-ray. We do nuclear medicine exams, PET CT exams. We have ultrasound and echocardiograms. We also have DEXA. So we do lots and lots of different types of things in our department. and mammography too.”

Each imaging method provides different types of information for physicians. Patrick noted that traditional x-rays are often used to evaluate bone structures, such as fractures, using simple two-dimensional images. CT scans expand on that technology by using rotating x-ray equipment to create multiple slices of the body, allowing doctors to see both bone and some soft tissue. MRI scans, which use powerful magnetic fields rather than x-rays, provide highly detailed images of soft tissues such as ligaments and muscles.

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Safety is a major consideration with MRI technology because the magnets used in the scanners are extremely powerful. Patients must be carefully screened for metal in their bodies before entering the scanner room, and individuals who have worked with metal, such as welders, may require additional screening.

Jackson said his work often focuses on nuclear medicine and PET scans, which provide a different perspective on how the body functions. “There’s two main types of PET scans that we do here in Cedar. One is oncology, so dealing with people that potentially have cancer or maybe, you know, they’re checking to see if their cancer is in remission. And then we also do cardiac PET scans, which just gives us a very in-depth look at the heart.”

Pet Scans Now Available Inside Of The Hospital

A recent upgrade has significantly improved access to PET scanning locally. Jackson explained that the hospital’s PET scanner had previously been housed in a mobile trailer outside the facility. A newly installed scanner inside the hospital now allows patients to stay indoors for the procedure and enables staff to schedule more exams locally.

“That allows us to do more exams, get people in quicker,” Jackson said, noting that many patients previously traveled to St. George for the service.

Patrick added that continued community growth has also led to the creation of an off-site imaging center in Cedar City that offers scheduled CT, MRI and ultrasound exams in a setting that is often quicker for outpatients because emergency cases at the hospital do not interrupt the schedule.

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You can hear the full interview with Patrick and Jackson in the podcast below.