Body Imaging

DESCRIPTION AND MISSION

The Division of Body Imaging is dedicated to providing sub-specialty evaluation and diagnosis of both cardiothoracic and abdominopelvic pathology. Guided by parallel principles of quality and patient safety, our experienced faculty members coordinate with referring clinicians to establish the most appropriate examinations and diagnoses for both adult and pediatric populations. Imaging within the division utilizes multiple modalities of MRI, CT, Ultrasound, X-ray, and fluoroscopy. Our technical infrastructure includes multi-slice helical CT scanners with dose-reduction technology, Large-bore 1.5T MRI and 3T MRI, as well as modern ultrasound equipment staffed by careful and knowledgeable technologists.

CLINICAL SERVICES

The body imaging division encompasses both cardiothoracic and abdominal imaging disciplines, with daily performance and interpretation of advanced imaging examinations in these respective fields, including:

• Cardiothoracic and vascular: Cardiac CT (with incoming myocardial CT perfusion capability), Cardiac MRI, Calcium scoring, High-resolution CT for complex lung disease, CT lung screening, advanced 3D processing, CT Angiography (CTA).
• Abdominopelvic: Quantitative MRI to support robust hepatology and transplant services, MR and CT Enterography, diffusion imaging, CT colonography, CT urography.

We are actively engaged in providing care for acute, inpatient, and outpatient settings, aided by access to advanced equipment utilized in MRI, CT, X-ray, fluoroscopy, US, and image-guided biopsies. This includes five 1.5T MRI (including a wide-bore scanner to accommodate larger patients), two 3T MRI, eight multi-slice CT scanners (with an incoming ultrafast, ultra low-dose scanner), as well as new fluoroscopy and ultrasound equipment.

Members of our division are present at the main campus hospital, as well as outpatient care centers, to help clinicians establish the most appropriate diagnostic pathway in the context of the patient’s clinical status. Body radiologists also participate in a number of dedicated multi-disciplinary conferences with clinical colleagues, including oncology, pulmonary, cardiology and gastrointestinal.

EDUCATION

All of the division’s faculty members participate in the education of both residents and medical students (both Loyola and visiting). This involves reviewing patient studies within the daily workflow, as well as organizing numerous didactic and case study reviews. In addition, there is one body imaging fellowship position. The residents and fellow participate in the full multimodal spectrum of both cardiothoracic and abdominal imaging. Involvement with national educational exhibits and materials is pursued by some faculty members.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

A diverse collection of research interests is present within the division, including involvement in the Corevalve study, investigation of peri-ablation cardiac MR, and four additional clinical trials aimed at evaluation of chemotherapeutic agents. Further research interests include molecular imaging, MRI sequence development, and novel image reconstruction processing. A new dedicated research fellow recently joined our staff, with a strong interest in MRI initiatives.

Faculty