[November 07, 2012]

Radisphere Helps Bring New Imaging Procedure to California's Adventist Medical Center - Hanford to Aid in Stroke Diagnosis and Management

Radisphere (www.radispheregroup.com), the largest and fastest-growing national radiology group in the United States, today announced that it has helped implement a new imaging procedure for the medical staff at Adventist Medical Center - Hanford in California. The procedure, known as a computed tomography (CT) brain perfusion exam, can provide better diagnostic information for suspected stroke patients.

Sample from a CT Perfusion Imaging Scan. Radisphere helped bring this imaging procedure to Adventist Medical Center - Hanford to help manage and diagnose stroke patients. (Photo: Business Wire)

Sanjeev Athale, M.D., who is the Onsite Medical Director of Radiology at Adventist Medical Center - Hanford and employed locally by Radisphere, was instrumental in bringing this new procedure to Adventist Health / Central Valley Network.

"We are excited to have this procedure, usually only offered at hospitals in major urban settings, available in the Central Valley," said Kendall Fults, R.N. and Senior Vice President of Network Operations at Adventist Health. "It is important to have strategic partners like Radisphere to hlp us provide quality services so the medical staff can offer faster comprehensive patient care."

A CT brain perfusion exam can quickly evaluate blood flow in the brain and help physicians see if a patient is about to have a stroke. The exam measures blood flow, blood volume, and the time required for blood to pass through tissue in order to identify critical information about the extension and severity of a blockage or bleeding that can occur during a stroke. The exam also can help define the area of brain tissue affected and identify any damage that can be repaired by medical or surgical therapy.

Early diagnosis is critical when treating acute stroke since there is a limited amount of time for treatment, usually within three hours. Conventional CT and MR imaging lack sensitivity in evaluating acute strokes during the first 24 to 36 hours, whereas CT perfusion imaging can provide immediate diagnosis of major vessel blockages or bleeding in the brain.

According to the American Heart Association, each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. Approximately 610,000 of these strokes are first attacks and 185,000 are recurrent attacks. On average, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke.

Through a combination of local onsite radiologists and a dedicated team of remote subspecialty radiologists, Dr. Athale and Radisphere collaborate with Adventist's medical staff to provide timely and accurate diagnoses for the highest levels of patient care. Radisphere employs radiologists with expertise in Neuroradiology, Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, Nuclear Medicine, Body, Women's Imaging, Pediatric, Interventional Radiology and Emergency Department Radiology. Radisphere's radiologists are board certified, located in the United States, and have academic and/or fellowship experience.

About Radisphere

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Radisphere (www.radispheregroup.com) is led by a group of physicians who saw a better way to deliver radiology to community hospitals, systems, ACOs, and patients. Its standards-based delivery model combines local radiologists who provide hands-on patient care, the largest network of subspecialty radiologists, and a cloud-based technology platform. Radisphere leverages its scale and technology to deliver faster, more accurate diagnoses, appropriate utilization, and the highest quality of patient care - enabling its hospital clients to measurably improve quality, drive growth and lower costs. Radisphere is the largest and fastest growing national radiology group in the United States with 150 radiologists and 35 exclusive hospital clients in 11 states.

Photos/Multimedia�Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi eid=50469390&lang=en

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