What does the equipment look like?
The antennas range in size from a flat panel 7.5″ x 11″ x 3.5″ (approx. size of a VCR tape), to an 11″ x 14″ long round pole, to a 24″ x 36″ grilled directional unit. They are all very lightweight and are no more difficult to install than a Dish TV or DirecTV dish. The cables used for exterior mounting come in set lengths, but can be ordered longer, and sometime shorter depending on the application. The cables are 1/2″ and 3/4″ in diameter, with the connectors being slightly larger. The cable is fairly stiff and should not be bent too sharply. LMR-500 and LMR-400 are the two most common cable types.
During most nuclear medicine examinations, you will lie down on a scanning table. Consequently, the only piece of equipment you may notice is the specialized nuclear imaging camera used during the procedure. It is enclosed in metallic housing designed to facilitate imaging of specific parts of the body. It can look like a large round metallic apparatus suspended from a tall, moveable post or a sleek one-piece metal arm that hangs over the examination table. The camera can also be within a large, doughnut-shaped structure similar in appearance to a computed tomography (CT) scanner. Sometimes, the camera is beneath the table out of view.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment The traditional MRI unit is a large cylinder-shaped tube surrounded by a circular magnet. You will lie on a moveable examination table that slides into the center of the magnet. Some MRI units, called short-bore systems, are designed so that the magnet does not completely surround you; others are open on all sides (open MRI). These units are especially helpful for examining patients who are fearful of being in a closed space and for those who are very obese. Newer open MRI units provide very high quality images for many types of exams; however, open MRI units with older magnets may not provide this same quality. Certain types of exams cannot be performed using open MRI. For more information, consult your doctor. The computer workstation that processes the imaging information is located in a separate room than the scanner.
