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Department of Radiology
About Us Always aimed at providing the highest quality of care to the patients and service to the referring physicians, the staff of the CAI delivers imaging services rapidly and efficiently, Exams are read and interpreted by the radiology faculty of West Virginia University. The faculty is composed entirely of qualified board-certified physicians with advanced training in their respective areas. The MRI and PET/CT technologists are qualified and board-certified. Continuing education is a high priority with both in-house and external learning offered for the technologists. Imaging services are provided for patients throughout the state of West Virginia and bordering regions in Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Accurate results are provided to the referring physicians as quickly as possible. The American College of Radiology (ACR) has awarded the MRI and PET/CT programs in the Center a three-year term of accreditation after a lengthy evaluation process carried out by nationally recognized leaders in the specialty of Radiology. The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. Radiological examinations are performed on the five scanners housed in the CAI. Upgrades ensure that the equipment has all the latest developments included. Service and preventative maintenance provided by the manufacturers of the equipment guarantees the highest level of performance at all times. On the research side, the Center houses two highly-trained research groups, one led by Dr. Aina Puce, Ph.D., Director of Neuroimaging and one led by Dr. Raymond Raylman, Ph.D., Vice-chair of Research in Radiology. Both bring the latest developments in their respective fields in MRI and PET to the Center to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of medical advancement. This allows patients to have the benefit of everyday clinical service that is state-of-the-art. The research conducted within the Center is multi-disciplinary with faculty members from Radiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Physiology, Physics and Engineering participating. Imaging physics is the core of the highly technical research performed by Drs. Raymond Raylman Ph.D., Susan Lemieux Ph.D., and Sendhil Velan Ph.D., at the CAI. Dr. Raylman’s instrumentation research program is focused on the development of new systems to detect positron-emitting radionuclides. These devices include an intraoperative beta probe and a dedicated breast imager for positron emission mammography (PEM)-guided breast biopsy. PEM is a relatively new method for obtaining high-resolution images of the radiotracer distribution in a breast. Therefore, such proven tumor-avid PET radiopharmaceuticals as 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose can be used to image suspicious breast lesions. This project is a collaborative effort between the Center for Advanced Imaging, the Detector Group at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, VA led by Stan Majewski, Ph.D., and the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Lemieux’s MRI physics research is focused on the use of two functional MRI techniques: Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) contrast and arterial spin labeling (ASL), for measuring changes in blood flow and oxygenation. Active areas of investigation are driven by both basic science and clinical questions including renal function, brain tumor metabolism, and skeletal muscle response. Dr. Velan’s MR Spectroscopy (MRS) research is focused on the development of sophisticated techniques such as MR microscopy with intermolecular double quantum coherences and multi-dimensional localized MRS. His work includes projects in muscle metabolism and tumor research. The mission of the Cognitive Neuroscience Group, led by Dr. Aina Puce, is to understand how the brain perceives and analyzes the external world, in terms of behavior and basic underlying neurophysiology. Both the normal and diseased brain are studied across spatial scales to develop better screening procedures for central nervous system disorders, and ultimately improve treatment. Multiple techniques (for example, structural MRI, functional MRI, MR spectroscopy, electrophysiology, and transcranial magnetic stimulation) are employed to understand the functions of the living brain and how central nervous system disorders disrupt sensory integration and cognition. Dr. Puce’s current research includes the study of neural systems underlying the perception of social information from eye gaze and other non-verbal facial cues to interpret the intentions of others, recovery from central nervous system injury, and integration of neuroimaging data from different modalities. Other projects in the Cognitive Neuroscience sphere include Dr. Marc Haut Ph.D., investigates human memory in normal aging and dementia, as well as the effects of toxins on the brain. His studies use structural (MRI volumetrics and Diffusion Tensor Imaging) and functional neuroimaging (PET activation and fMRI) in an attempt to examine how structure-function relationships in the brain work together to produce certain behaviors. Dr. Linda Shuster Ph.D. conducts research aimed at furthering our knowledge of how the brain allows us to communicate; in particular, how it enables us to produce and understand speech. Specifically, she studies neurogenic communication disorders (speech and language problems caused by stroke), with the aim of improving treatment for these disorders. She employs a variety of research techniques, including acoustic analysis, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In a similar vein, Dr. Cathrin Buetefisch M.D., is using similar techniques to study recovery of hand function following stroke. Finally, Dr. James Lewis Ph.D. is using functional MRI to understand how the brain categorizes and identifies natural environmental sounds. The long-term goal of this research will likely impact the design of the new generation of intelligent hearing aids. While the CAI team is dedicated to providing the very best and cutting-edge imaging methods, patient care and service are never sacrificed. We renewed our commitment to service in 2006. Patients recognize this commitment, exemplified by attention to patient preparation, easy scheduling around other appointments and same day service. The CAI staff, from receptionist to radiologist, is positive, friendly, and caring. Supportive care is provided across the full range of conditions from the walk-in appointment to the emergency scan. In this article, the major developments in the CAI during the last year are described including RADLinq and PETLinq, the new PET/CT scanner, the breast MRI program, MRI using endorectal coils, and imaging that makes optimal use of the upgraded 3T MRI scanner including magnetic resonance angiography and musculoskeletal MRI. |
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