Mercy-Rogers Buys 3-D Ultrasound Package

Mercy-Rogers Medical Center’s radiology department has added software and hardware worth about $45,000 to create 3-D imaging for its ultrasound equipment.

The supplemental package also includes Native Tissue Harmonic Imaging that increases the quality of cardiac imaging, said Dr. Lindley Diacon, the director of radiology at the center.

With the supplemental technology, medical problems such as fetal abnormalities can be better diagnosed, Diacon said.

Mercy-Rogers, part of the Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, is the first institution in northwest Arkansas to operate 3-D imaging, Diacon said, adding that it was also the first in Arkansas to be accredited by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Purchasing the equipment might not increase patient flow, as Mercy administrators first believed, because 3-D imaging takes longer to process than regular ultrasounds. However, Diacon said the higher quality of care would make the difference.

The radiology department uses an Acuson Aspen Advanced System, which could be upgraded. Purchasing a comparable system new would cost at least $180,000, Diacon said.