Cary Medical Center was the first hospital in northern Maine to offer fixed base Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services, a medical diagnostic technique that creates images of the body. While CT scanners use x-rays to acquire images, the MRI unit uses radio frequency signals and strong magnetic fields to obtain two dimensional cross-sections of tissue and three dimensional reconstructions. A new MRI unit was recently installed at Cary, a Canon Vantage Fortian 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging System.

The MRI is faster, which means the patient will spend less time in the unit. The image quality is extremely high and will be important for patients who may have to go to hospitals outside of the area for additional care. The unit also features the largest bore (opening) in Maine and offers a unique theatre experience to further enhance patient comfort.

The MRI is best suited for soft tissues like muscles, organs, and veins. The radio waves bounce back to highly sophisticated computers that interpret the information as an image. Different types of tissue send back different signals; even the slightest variations between healthy and abnormal tissue can be detected.