Indraprastha Apollo Hospital Now Equipped With G Scan – An Open Standing MRI Scanner

NEW DELHI, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Paving the way towards addressing the ever-evolving and complex healthcare environment in India, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals installed a first-of-its-kind cutting edge technology G (Gravity) Scan - an open standing MRI scanner. The standing MRI scanner was launched at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

This new open standing MRI machine is a revolutionary platform for musculoskeletal applications including the spine, which provides surgeons a unique additional diagnostic element. When lying down, the patient hardly puts weight on the lower limb because of which a conventional MRI scan cannot detect some vital problems and deviations. This technology enables true weight-bearing examination which was not possible before and was one of the greatest challenges to MRI. By allowing scanning in standing position, the technology also helps doctors diagnose functional alignments of patients' joints - how they are and they progress and whether the condition will get worse. In addition, the machine is open and thus most friendly for patients who have claustrophobia (fear of small closed-in space).

This new machine incorporates latest technological innovations at the international level. One can have various tilting positions such as 45 degrees, 90 degrees, etc. on this machine - the standing MRI, which uses the principle of gravity in giving added advantages in diagnosing spinal diseases and musculoskeletal disorders of the patients including joints.

Addressing the media, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, "This open standing MRI Machine would be very critical for patients who continue to experience pain after spine surgery because it can evaluate the role and effect of patients' weight on the curvature of spine, which cannot be accurately analyzed with conventional MRI machines. Such patients can now hope to get proper and accurate spine surgery done as with this scan the surgeons would have an exact idea and better analysis of the extent and nature of injury, visualized along with the effect of gravitational forces."

Close to one million spine surgeries are performed each year, but the outcomes are not good with a substantial failure rate. This technology would help improve the outcomes of these surgeries by identifying the pain generating pathology. In addition to serving as a diagnostic tool, the technology would further help doctors understand the patient's recovery process after the procedure including joint surgeries especially knee joints.

About Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, India's first JCI-accredited hospital, is a joint venture between the Government of Delhi and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited. Commissioned in July 1996, it is the third super-speciality tertiary care hospital set up by the Apollo Hospitals Group. Spread over 15 acres, it houses 57 specialties with more than 300 specialists and more than 600 operational beds, 19 operation theatres, 138 ICU beds, round-the-clock pharmacy, NABL accredited laboratories, 24-hour emergency services and an active air ambulance service. Apollo Hospitals Delhi has the leading programme in kidney and liver transplant in the country. The first successful paediatrics and adult liver transplants in India were performed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. The hospital is at the forefront of medical technology and expertise. It provides a complete range of latest diagnostic, medical and surgical facilities for the care of its patients. The hospital has introduced the most sophisticated imaging technology to India with the introduction of 64 slice CT and 3 Tesla MRI, Novalis Tx and HIFU. Indraprastha Apollo has also pioneered the concept of preventive health check programmes and has created a satisfied customer base over decades. The hospital has been consistently ranked amongst the best 10 hospitals in India by The Week survey for the past several years.

For more information visit www.apollohospitals.com.

Primary Media Contact: Parul Chhabra, [email protected], 91-9810588410

Secondary Media Contact: Kusum Sahijpal, [email protected], 91-9999973090