Considered one of the best radiology departments in Southern California, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate, is located in Torrance, Calif. in the South Bay area. The imaging department performed 286,000 inpatient and outpatient exams in 2018, encompassing the ultrasound, MRI, breast and cardiac imaging, diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and PET services that they offer.
Below, Arnie Wolfson, director of imaging services, sits down with AXIS Imaging News to discuss Torrance Memorial’s commitment to utilizing the latest technology advancements while continuing to serve patients with high-standard protocol.
AXIS Imaging News: Can you please tell AXIS Imaging News readers a little bit about your imaging department and the equipment you house?
Arnie Wolfson: In order to support the relatively high volume of the department, the medical center has four MRI scanners, two of which are open bore 3 Tesla strength magnets. We have four multi-detector CTs, two of which have dual-energy capabilities, as well as a substantial number of ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and portable digital radiography units.
Torrance Memorial’s Philips Allura Biplane Interventional Radiology Suite
Our nuclear medicine department includes SPECT, SPECT/CT, and PET-CT imaging for a variety of mostly cardiac and oncologic applications. Our breast imaging sites were the first in the area to provide 3D tomosynthesis for routine screening. At the same time, a state-of-the-art bi-plane fluoroscopy interventional radiology suite is heavily utilized to guide complex percutaneous and endovascular procedures, including neurointerventions.
AXIS: How does your imaging department stand out from other hospitals’ imaging departments and why?
Wolfson: The imaging department at Torrance Memorial has a proven track record of adopting new technology early in order to provide its patients with access to the highest fidelity imaging available on the market. Most recently, in looking to acquire additional CT scanners to accommodate growth and further its investment in new technology, we are continuing this tradition by expanding spectral and dual energy CT imaging protocols. In doing so, the hospital can provide physicians the tools to identify and diagnosis disease sooner and with greater confidence, while simultaneously decreasing the need for additional imaging workup, saving health care costs and limiting patient radiation exposure.
While the equipment is important, of greater importance are the people who operate it. All of our radiologists have completed advanced training, in addition to the usual medical residency, to prepare for their current role. They are regularly consulted by primary care physicians and specialists to develop a highly customized plan for each patient and meticulously develop protocols to ensure each imaging modality operates with the highest possible precision to make proper diagnoses. In addition, our interventional radiologists use these modalities to perform highly advanced, minimally invasive procedures for a speedy recovery for our patients.
AXIS: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest innovations in medical imaging? How is your radiology department deploying these technologies?
Torrance Memorial’s Siemens 3T Skyra MRI scanner
Wolfson: Dual-energy and spectral CT represent the next evolution in CT imaging, increasing the amount of information that can be gleaned on a single acquisition for a given radiation dose. However, its applications in cardiac, body, neurologic, and musculoskeletal imaging are very much still in development. By already investing in CT platforms that can perform these techniques, Torrance Memorial is poised to take advantage of each new application, even as they are just being reported in the literature. It is truly an exciting time.
In the recent past, when CT advancements were driven by faster and thinner scanning to minimize motion and achieve gains in spatial resolution, we are now seeing innovations in tissue characterization previously only achievable with MR, benefiting our patients greatly.
AXIS: How has your imaging department evolved in the past few years? How do you expect the department to evolve even more in the future?
Wolfson: As medicine moves more toward molecular and targeted therapies, having a strong imaging department to guide treatments has never been more critical. We look forward to adopting new technologies on the horizon to continue to provide the highest quality patient care achievable in our continuing mission to serve members of the community.
