Our Dr. O is taking his expertise to Indonesia!

Dr. Hugue Ouellette, one of the radiologists at Canada Diagnostic, is currently in Sumatra, Indonesia lecturing on musculoskeletal radiology topics.

First up, is his lecture series at the International Skeletal Society Radiology Outreach Program in Sumatra where he will be lecturing on the imaging of bone tumours, imaging of arthritis, and imaging of Metabolic bone disease.

After that, Dr. O. will be lecturing at the Indonesian Society of Radiology on MRI of the Painful Hip.

All of the radiologists at Canada Diagnostic are very active in research/academics, teaching and clinically. They divide their time between Canada Diagnostic, UBC Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Read more about the team here.

 

Our Radiologists are lecturing internationally

We are proud to be working with radiologists who are in demand internationally!

Currently, Dr. Bruce Forster is in Ireland as a Visiting Professor for the Irish Faculty of Radiology’s meeting in Limerick. From there, he will travel to Dublin as a Visiting Professor to lecture radiology residents. Dr. Forster will be lecturing on several musculoskeletal MRI topics. On his way back to Vancouver, Dr. Forster will also be a featured debater in The Canadian Association of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting in Montreal.

Dr. Hugue Ouellette is in Hong Kong lecturing at Prince of Wales Hospital at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on the future of CT scan imaging in Musculoskeletal radiology. After Hong Kong, he’s off to Singapore and Indonesia for more lectures.

Safe travels Dr. Forster and Dr. Ouellette!

Primary Care Doctors say Imaging Improves Patient Care

Do we use too much medical imaging? Not according to primary care doctors in a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

The study surveyed 500 primary care doctors in the U.S. – 88% of the physicians surveyed said that diagnostic imaging allows them to be more confident in their diagnoses and to make better clinical decisions. All that equals better patient care in their books.

In both the United States and Canada, medical imaging is viewed as a costly component of the healthcare system and ways to cut those costs are being explored. Practical guidelines have been developed both in Canada and the U.S. to help doctors choose the most appropriate type of imaging for their patients’ particular symptoms. The goal of these guidelines is to help eliminate unnecessary or redundant testing.

At Canada Diagnostic, we are able to offer MRI, CT and Ultrasound so that you can get the best test possible for your unique needs. Our radiologists are available to speak with your doctors anytime to help determine what the best test is. Each type of test provides a different type of information, so its important to choose the best one for diagnostic accuracy.

Find out how we can help – call us today at 604-709-8522 or email us at info@canadadiagnostic.com

Our radiologists’ research featured at international conference

The Radiological Society of North America (“RSNA”) is holding its annual international conference in Chicago this week.  Canada Diagnostic Centres is very proud that three of our radiologists have research that is being presented at this high-profile conference.

The RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting has 53,000 attendees from around the world.  The Scientific Assembly is considered the premiere scientific radiology forum in the world – providing the most up-to-date and leading edge research into all aspects of radiology.

Drs. Bruce Forster and Gordon Andrews are contributing authors to research posters on musculo-skeletal imaging and improving CT reporting for radiology residents.  Dr. Forster is also moderating and presenting at an educational session on elbow/hand/wrist imaging.

Dr. Hugue Ouellette, our Medical Director is a contributing author to eight research papers which have been accepted for presentation at this year’s Assembly.  His topics include musculo-skeletal imaging and radiology in emergency settings.

Our radiologists’ research was conducted at UBC Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital – facilities where they also work, teach and research.

We’re very proud of the work our radiologists do both at Canada Diagnostic and our local teaching hospitals – and we would like to congratulate them on their contributions to this year’s RSNA Scientific Assembly.

If you are considering a private MRI, CT or Ultrasound exam, we would be happy to help.  To learn more about our services, please visit our website or call us at 1-877-709-8522.

Heading Soccer ball leads to brain injury

According to a study published June 11 in the journal Radiology, soccer players who frequently use their heads to field the ball have brain abnormalities that show up on MRI and that are similar to those found in people with traumatic brain injury.

Soccer balls can travel as fast as 50 miles per hour, and a player may head the ball up to a dozen times during a game.  During practices, it might be common to perform heading drills – where the ball might be bounced off of a player’s head several dozen times.  During the repeated impacts, the brain is accelerating/decerlating inside the skull.

We already know the effects of multiple concussions and how sports like north-american football are starting to grapple with those effects.  But what about impacts that don’t cause concussion like repetitive heading of a soccer ball?

Testing has shown that cognitive (memory) performance decreased in soccer players after a threshold of 1800 headings per year.  However, the changes seen in the brain on MRI show tissue changes that preceed cognitive decline at thresholds of 900 – 1500 headings per year.  The cumulative effects of repetitive minor injury might not be apparent for many years.

How can this type of cumulative brain injury be avoided?  One of the studies authors suggested that players heading counts be monitored and the players be given a recovery period once a certain number of headings has been reached.  Baseball does something similar with pitchers to save their arms/shoulders from permanent damage.

for more information about MRI, CT and Ultrasound services at Canada Diagnostic, please call us at 1-877-709-8522 or send us an email at info@canadadiagnostic.com.  You can also visit our website at www.canadadiagnostic.com.

Proud to Support Rowing Canada!

Canada Diagnostic Centres is very proud to support Rowing Canada as their Official Supplier of Diagnostic Imaging.  As a leader in sports medicine imaging, our clinic is chosen by professional athletes, elite amateurs and weekend warriors alike!

The rower’s did Canada proud by bringing home the Silver Medal in Men’s and Women’s 8’s at the London2012 Summer Olympics.

For more information about Rowing Canada, visit:  http://www.rowingcanada.org/home

To find out how Canada Diagnostic can help you with your sport-related injury, call us at 1-877-709-8522, or visit our website at http://www.canadadiagnostic.com/

10 Greatest Medical Inventions of the last 50 years – guess what tied for #1? CT & MRI!

According to healthexecnews.com, CT and MRI tie for the greatest medical inventions of the last 50 years.

The choice of MRI and CT as #1 reflects what an incredible impact these two technologies have made on the medical industry since their inception in the late 1970’s.  MRI and CT seem like standard procedures today, hinting at their significant impact on healthcare.

From screening for early disease detection, to detailed diagnostic scans, to monitoring treatment progress, MRI and CT have a role to play in just about every type of injury and illness.

At Canada Diagnostic in Vancouver, we’ve been offering MRI and CT scans since 2000.

The radiologists who interpret MRI & CT scans at Canada Diagnostic Centres all work, teach and do research at two of BC’s best-known teaching hospitals:  Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital.  What does this mean for our patients and their physicians?  Our radiologists are  at the forefront of the latest developments in advanced diagnostic imaging and read a high volume of specialized cases each year.

Our radiologists also bring a variety of sub-specialty skills to Canada Diagnostic relating to musculoskeletal, neurologic, breast and abdominal diagnostic imaging.  They use a team approach and are able to consult freely with each other in the event of challenging cases.  This depth and breadth of knowledge greatly benefits our patients and their doctors.

To learn more about the types of scans we offer at Canada Diagnostic, click here, or call us at 604-709-8522.

 

 

 

 

 

A cure for “Jumper’s Knee”?

Do you have patellar tendinitis or tendinopathy – also known as Jumper’s Knee?  This can be a stubborn condition that causes pain when jumping or kneeling and is usually caused by overuse.

Tendinopathies can be hard to heal – tendons don’t have a rich blood supply which is necessary for healing.  Blood carries “repair” components to the injury site including, healing cells, and the body’s own chemicals necessary for healing (growth factors).

When Jumper’s Knee becomes chronic and traditional conservative therapies (rest, physiotherapy, bracing) haven’t improved matters, it might be time to try something new:  hcPRP.

hcPRP, or highly-concentrated platelet-rich plasma, is a concentration of blood platelets, made from your own blood and injected directly into the tendon.  What does it do?  Well, it delivers platelets, full of the healing ingredients that can kick-start the repair process of stubborn injuries.

Canada Diagnostic Centres in Vancouver is the only place in Canada that you can get hcPRP treatments.  There are other platelet-rich-plasma treatments available, but they only concentrate the platelets to 5-8x baseline and multiple injections are usually required.  With hcPRP, we concentrate the platelets to 25-45x baseline and one injection is generally all that is required.

An important component to our treatments is that we use image-guidance for our injections.  We use either ultrasound or CT to help the radiologist visualize exactly where the injection needs to go and to help him ensure the needle delivers the hcPRP to the exact spots it is needed most.  Result?  More accurate placement of hcPRP resulting in better healing.

Will hcPRP help you?  We have had a lot of success treating a number of chronic tendinopathies with hcPRP, so if you have been diagnosed with Jumper’s Knee or patellar tendonopathy, give us a call to learn more about hcPRP.

Call us today at 1-877-709-8522 to learn more.

MRI can change diagnosis and treatment plan for knee problems

Did you know that using MRI for knee disorders can often change the diagnosis and treatment plan?

With an accurate diagnosis, confirmed by MRI, its easier for doctors and their patients to choose the best course of action – patients will get the more effective treatment.

A small study done by the Cleveland Clinic and presented in November at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual international conference found that an MRI changed the primary diagnosis in 37% of the cases and altered patient care in 29% of the cases including whether to do surgery or not, and which type of surgery to do.

The patients who were studied were all referred for MRIs by orthopedic or sports medicine doctors, who are the most skilled at evaluating knee problems.  The study hypothesized that if the expert diagnosis changed, then diagnosis done by non-surgeons or non-sports med doctors would probably be effected more. 

Looking for the right place to have your knee checked out?  Our radiologists are all skilled musculoskeletal MRI interpreters and work closely with the sports medicine doctors and surgeons at Allan McGavin Sports Medicine at UBC.  Call us today for more information at 1-877-709-8522 or visit us online at www.canadadiagnostic.com

And don’t forget to check out our options for pain management!  http://www.canadadiagnostic.com/content/services/pain-management.php

 

Mayo Clinic study finds PRP safe and effective

A study done at the Mayo Clinic, and published in the October 2011 Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, finds that needle tenotomy plus PRP is a “safe and effective treatment for chronic, recalcitrant tendinopathy”.

The patients who participated in the study each had stubborn tendon problems.  The tendons treated in the study were located in the upper arms (including elbows), legs, ankles and feet. 

The researchers at the Mayo Clinic used needle tenotomy (in simple terms, “poking” the tendon with a needle) before injecting the PRP into the injured tendon.  Their aim was to create more surface area for the PRP to latch on to, increasing the amount of tissue regeneration stimulation that could occur.

Highly-concentrated platelet-rich plasma (hcPRP) is now available at Canada Diagnostic .  Email us at info@canadadiagnostic.com or call us at 1-877-709-8522 to learn more.