Kuakini Medical Center, Ground Floor
The Imaging Services Department provides X-ray services which assist physicians in diagnosing their patient's illness so that appropriate treatment can be ordered.
Skilled radiologists and technologists record X-ray images of bones, blood vessels, tissues and various internal organs so that an accurate diagnosis can be made.
Kuakini Health System's Imaging Services Department has the latest in Digital Imaging technology. Digital Imaging provides more accuracy, is faster than conventional analog imaging and is filmless, making it more environmentally friendly. This results in less patient exposure to X-rays and faster procedures. The images are also Internet ready, which means the images can be broadcast over the Internet for consultation and analysis with other health care professionals. There is also no lost film to replace.
At the start of 2010, Kuakini added a PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scanner that enables patients to receive accurate, detailed images through a PET and CT scan in a single scanning session. PET scans can detect very small lesions, tumors and diseased tissue while CT scans help pinpoint the location of these abnormalities. PET/CT scans provide early detection and allow physicians to recommend precise treatment and monitoring.
Kuakini Medical Center’s Imaging Services Department is now offering the revolutionary CADx (Computer-Aided Detection) technology which uses a computer to analyze mammograms. Digital mammography with CADx technology has the ability to "flag" subtle breast cancers that may be missed or overlooked; it enables Kuakini radiologists to have an instantaneous "second look."
Diagnostic Imaging includes such procedures as Digital Radiology/Fluoroscopy, Angiography, Computerized Tomography, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), Digital Ultrasound X-ray and Mammography. These procedures are more commonly referred to as X-ray procedures and include chest X-rays, mammograms and CT (Computerized Tomography) scans.
Direct X-ray (Direct Ray) provides the latest in diagnostic X-ray, which requires no film. All of the images are captured and stored on a computer workstation. This results in less X-ray exposure for the patients and faster imaging of the patients. Kuakini was the fourth hospital in the United States to install this technology.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides the latest technology for viewing patients utilizing magnetic field/radiofrequency technology to image human anatomy. This non-invasive diagnostic test provides excellent contrast and representation of tissue anatomy such as in studies of the head, spine and musculoskeletal structures.
CT technology provides cross sectional views of the human anatomy using X-ray. In 2010, Kuakini Medical Center installed a 64-slice GE Lightspeed® VCT XTe, which is the first CT scanner in Hawaii with ASiR™ (Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction) technology. ASiR makes it possible to dramatically reduce the radiation dose to patients up to 40 percent without compromising the image quality of the scan.
The LightSpeed VCT XTe provides in-depth brain and cardiac techniques that make these tests more reliable and enable doctors to have more confidence in their diagnosis.
In the event of a power outage, Kuakini is one of a few hospitals in the state that can continue its CT services since the scanner is capable of running on emergency power.
Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to produce moving images of the human body. It is also used to analyze blood flow. Kuakini has the latest in Digital Ultrasound technology including a high definition, color Doppler, an ultrasound system that can provide 3-dimensional images and a digital ultrasound system that provides a special external probe for surgical applications.
Special procedures are performed in Kuakini's state-of-the-art Digital Angiography suite including cerebral angiograms, aortagrams and femoral run-offs.
The Nuclear Medicine Department provides diagnostic tests for patients in a noninvasive manner by utilizing radioactive materials with highly specialized scanners. Nuclear medicine scans give physiologic information, which complement the anatomic information provided by X-rays and other diagnostic equipment. The latest high-tech equipment, including the latest GE Discovery STE 16-slice PET/CT Scanner, MCD (Molecular Coincidence Detection) Testing, SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography), thalium stress tests and a bone densitometer are available.
In 2005, Kuakini installed a Philips SKYlight camera in its Nuclear Medicine Department. The camera is the world’s first gantry-free gamma camera.
The Imaging Services Department offers services to inpatients and outpatients. The staff is comprised of qualified and licensed technologists, radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists.
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