Philips Imaging Center at Skiff

Our Radiology department, the Philips Imaging Center at Skiff, uses leading-edge technology to assist in providing you with fast, accurate diagnoses.

CT scanner

Continuing Skiff Medical Center’s dedication to providing you with better care, our state-of-the-art Philips Ingenuity 128-slice CT scanner helps provide us with better images, faster than ever before and with the least radiation dose possible. Skiff currently has the second-highest slice count in the state of Iowa.

This scanner creates cross-sectional images, or slices, that show the most intricate details of bones, organs, arteries and additional tissues. Not only can the machine acquire more slices and at a greater speed – an abdomen and pelvic scan that used to take 40 seconds now takes 12 seconds or fewer – it captures significantly thinner slices, measuring in sub-millimeters.

In the process of a CT scan, a tube rotates around a patient’s body, utilizing the lowest necessary dose of radiation to gather images from various angles. If a slightly grainy image does occur in the case of not quite enough radiation, rescans are no longer an immediate necessity, as they were in the past. The unit is equipped with state-of-the-art software called iDose, which cleans up visual "noise" to provide an image identical to that achieved with higher radiation.

Thanks to the combination of iDose and the dose modulation capabilities, patients at Skiff can receive half as much radiation, or even less, than they did in the past. Skiff is proud to be the first hospital in Iowa to commit to the new iDose technology.

MRI

When Skiff Medical Center installed its in-house Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Unit in 2000, we became the smallest hospital in Iowa to have a permanent MRI unit. We recently made headlines again with the arrival of the digital Philips Ingenia 1.5T MRI. The unit features the first broadband digital magnet, along with a bore – the opening in the center of the machine – with larger width and shorter length to accommodate bigger patients and offer more space for those who struggle with claustrophobia.

In addition, our MRI suite is equipped with the Ambient Experience, a program which combines lights, sound and moving images to transform a radiology room into something much more. The environments are designed down to the smallest detail, from tumbleweeds blowing through the Australian Outback to coconuts falling from palm trees on a South American beach. Several vivid, cartoon-style themes are available for younger patients.

Digital radiology

The Philips Digital Diagnost Eleva dual detector X-ray machine provides instant, digital capture of the X-ray image. The unit features two large image capture plates (for larger patients) and a robotic motorized column for patient comfort. Best of all, the unit captures the highest quality images at up to a 35 percent reduction in the radiation dose.

Digital mammography

PACS

Our Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) uses computer technology to digitally store images from X-rays, CT scans, MRI studies, ultrasound exams and nuclear medicine on a computer system for instant viewing. This gives faster access to images, which means better care for you. PACS also allows our staff to manipulate the images to bring out the most important details, which helps in diagnoses.

Our state-of-the-art system also allows access to past studies, so physicians can easily monitor ongoing conditions (for example, the growth of a tumor or the degeneration of a bone or joint). These images also can be transferred to other authorized radiologists and hospitals located anywhere in the world. This means, regardless of where you are, Skiff Medical Center Radiology can help medical professionals understand your medical history.

Nuclear medicine

Skiff Medical Center’s nuclear medicine camera is used to diagnose and treat a number of medical problems by giving fast, detailed images of what is going on in the body. By using a comparable amount of radiation received during an X-ray, nuclear medicine can identify abnormalities very early in the progression of disease.

Cardiovascular and general ultrasound

With the addition of the iE33 cardiovascular ultrasound system from Philips Medical Systems, combined with digital upgrades to the two iU22 general ultrasound units, Skiff’s radiology department completes its transition to a fully digital imaging department. The cardiovascular ultrasound system provides a real-time look at a patient’s heart, with functions that allow for quicker and less expensive diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions.

The iE33 allows information to be digitally transmitted directly to physician workstations, with no details lost in the process. The physicians also no longer need to dictate their findings and have them transcribed; rather, the system makes possible the autofilling of all necessary fields. And when it’s faster for the doctor, patients get results faster. That means quicker peace of mind when things look good, and quicker treatment when it’s needed.

The equipment allows for the examination and diagnosis of a vast array of cardiac and vascular symptoms and conditions, including heart murmurs, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, hypertension, palpitations, shortness of breath, congestive heart failure, indications of stroke, carotid stenosis, blood clots, peripheral arterial disease and more.

BMA

Additional new technology at Skiff is used for Bone Mineral Analysis (BMA). The Hologic Discovery dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) system provides a single comprehensive platform for the assessment of three major health issues: osteoporosis including vertebral fracture assessment, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

Contact us

To learn more about the Philips Imaging Center at Skiff, contact Radiology Director Jane Hettinger at (641) 791-4310 or jhettinger@skiffmed.com.