The First & Only Private Radiology Facility in the Nation to Offer MRI/PET

On November 11, 2014, at its newest facility in Lynbrook, NY, Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology has once again led the way in medical imaging by being the first private radiology facility in the United States to acquire an MRI/PET (Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Positron Emission Tomography) scanner. The Biograph mMR, by Siemens, is the only FDA-approved device that has the ability to acquire both an MRI and a PET scan simultaneously -- leading to better detection, characterization and treatment of oncologic, neurologic and cardiac diseases.

For many years before the Biograph mMR was available, the modality of choice had been PET/CT, a hybrid modality that performs both a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and a CT (Computed Tomography) scan. However, because of the dangers of radiation exposure with CT and its low soft tissue resolution, radiologists have chosen to use software techniques that combine a patient’s MRI scan with the patient’s PET scan -- creating fused MRI/PET studies. But due to motion and alignment issues with fusing two exams from two different scanners, diagnosing certain diseases was problematic -- but not anymore.

The simultaneous imaging of MRI and PET with the Biograph mMR scanner will:

- Eliminate CT radiation exposure that is received from PET/CT scans, which is equivalent to approximately 100 chest X-rays.

- Provide superior soft tissue information than PET/CT, thus increasing the sensitivity and specificity of the exam.

- Increase diagnostic confidence by eliminating motion from two separate scans.

- Reduce the number of office visits and acquisition time by combining two important imaging techniques in one system.

“These points are of the utmost importance to us here at Zwanger-Pesiri,” says Chief Executive Officer, Steven L. Mendelsohn, MD. “Not only are we committed to giving our patients access to the most advanced imaging techniques on the market, but we are dedicated to reducing radiation exposure whenever possible. The fact that MRI/PET delivers better diagnostic information than PET/CT and reduces radiation exposure equivalent to 100 chest X-rays, is what makes this modality an integral part of who we are and what we stand for.”

“We know that by having an MRI/PET unit at Zwanger-Pesiri, patients and physicians around the country, and even the world, will now have access to this valuable imaging modality in a more private, comfortable and family-like environment. And being that Lynbrook is only 15 minutes away from John F. Kennedy International Airport, this office will be accessible to many,” says Robert Day, Chief Operating Officer of Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology.