Peer-Reviewed Study Concludes the Fonar Upright MRI Could Serve as the “Standard Procedure of Care” for Pediatric Shoulder Malady
MELVILLE, NEW YORK, May 30, 2007 – FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ-FONR), The Inventor of MR Scanning™, announced today, that the April 23, 2007 issue of the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging featured an article entitled ‘Upright MRI of glenohumeral dysplasia following obstetric brachial plexus injury’. In laymen’s terms, the study evaluated the effectiveness of upright MRI imaging for the diagnosis of a particular deformity in a child’s shoulder (glenohumeral dysplasia), which occurs as the result of an injury known as Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury (OBPI), also known as Erb’s palsy. The authors conclude that “Upright MRI could, thus, serve as the standard procedure of care in pediatric obstetric brachial plexus population for glenohumeral imaging.” The study, which included 89 children, ages 0.4 to 17.9 years, with OBPI, was conducted on a FONAR UPRIGHT™ Multi-Position™ MRI operating at Natural MRI in Houston.
The lead author-researcher in the study is Rahul K. Nath, M.D., Director of the Texas Nerve & Paralysis Institute and the Nath Brachial Plexus Institute at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Nath, who has performed several thousand brachial plexus surgeries, is listed among America’s Top Doctors (Castle Connelly Publishers, 1st ed.). Less than 1% of American doctors achieve this honor, where Dr. Nath is the only physician listed in the category for Pediatric Brachial Plexus Management.
For more information on Dr. Nath visit:
www.drnathbrachialplexus.com
www.drnathwingingscapula.com
www.drnathnervetumor.com
www.drnathfootdrop.com
www.drnathmri.com
Dr. Nath said, “Old technology, such as recumbent MRI and CT scans, misses significant dislocations of the shoulder, in my experience. Because of what I learn about my patients’ pathology, that can only be seen on the FONAR UPRIGHT™ Multi-Position™ MRI, I have changed my surgical protocols. Examination of my post-surgical data shows that the Upright MRI definitely improves patient outcomes.”
“Using MRI to image patient pathology in the natural (weight-bearing) view is obvious,” added Dr. Nath. “The effects of gravity cannot be seen with other MRI machines.”
Dr. Nath continued, “As a surgeon, I need to be able to see the pathology of my patients in order to fix their problems. The FONAR UPRIGHT™ Multi-Position™ MRI gives me the necessary image quality that I need. But most important, by imaging patients in the ‘natural’ weight-bearing position, I am able to see the true pathology that gives me the best diagnoses. Because of this FONAR technology, I seldom use recumbent 1.5 Tesla scanners for my patients and am, in fact, dependent on the FONAR scanner.”
In the discussion of the results of the study, the authors state that “the images produced by upright MRI were of equal quality to those produced by recumbent MRI.” They also state, “Upright™ MRI has significant advantages to standard recumbent MRI, including the ability to view glenohumeral incongruence with gravity acting on the joint, as well as much reduced morbidity and expense in the pediatric population due to elimination of the need for sedation.”
According to the authors, “The relative beneficial aspects of Upright™ MRI include lack of need for sedation, low claustrophobic potential and, most important, natural, gravity-influenced position, enabling the surgeon to visualize the true preoperative picture of the shoulder. It is an effective tool for demonstrating glenohumeral abnormalities resulting from brachial plexus injury worthy of surgical exploration.”