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Our History

A Note of Thanks to Our Community

In 1989, our doctors invested in MRI because they knew that our community needed the service. Today, we continue to invest in the best technology and professional services available so that our community can continue to benefit from the most advanced MRI service.

MRI is a continually evolving field of science and innovation. As we look back at all of the advancements that have been made in MRI, we are proud to say that CMI has continued to provide the latest technology and the highest quality of radiologist expertise available.

Many extraordinary physicians and healthcare providers have chosen CMI as their MRI facility over the past four decades. We appreciate their dedication to patient care as we continue to provide MRI services to our community.

- Dr. John J. Picano
  Medical Director

April 1989: CMI Installs the First MRI Unit at the Utica Business Park.
A $2.9 million seven-ton magnet that gives physicians three-dimensional “slices” of the human body is brought into the Utica Business Park for installation. This is the result of a collaborative effort of several local radiologists who met to discuss the possibility of bringing magnetic resonance imaging to Oneida County. Through their medical literature and professional meetings, they knew the great benefits that could be brought to medical care by this astonishing technology. Due to the high expense required to build and house the equipment, it was felt that a private endeavor that would serve physician, hospital, and community needs would avoid unnecessary duplication of services and provide the best and latest diagnostics.

1990s: Open MRI enters the market nationally.
In October 1996, the first Open MRI is performed at CMI at the Utica Business Park. For patients who were unable to tolerate conventional MRI scanners due to claustrophobia or their size, Open MRI provides a comfortable choice without compromising image quality.

June 1994: CMI performs first MRI 3D Angiography.
MRI angiography is one of the most innovative applications of MRI whereby the blood vessel images are created by the MRI unit without the need for placement of a catheter or hospital admission. There is no risk of potential bleeding or complications from allergies or strokes that can be associated with conventional angiography. MRI angiography is used primarily to diagnose vascular abnormalities such as aneurysms.

November 2001: CMI Opens MRI Campus at St. Luke’s Hospital.
CMI Diffusion Imaging Scans of the brain are performed. The scan can reveal within a few minutes whether the patient has had a stroke and which part of the brain is in danger. This is an important clinical application of MRI.

February 2003: CMI Opens MRI Campus at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.
The first cardiac scan is performed at St. Elizabeth’s CMI in March of 2003. Cardiac MRI is a noninvasive study used to evaluate a number of conditions of the heart and surrounding tissues and vessels. 

2006: CMI opens MRI Campus at Slocum Dickson and an Open MRI in Ilion.
The Ilion location is CMI’s first Herkimer County location.

March 2007: First Breast MRI performed at St. Luke’s CMI.
An expert panel of the American Cancer Society recommends annual breast cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging, or breast MRI, in addition to mammography for women at high risk of breast cancer. CMI has state of the art computer aided detection tools for performing real time image analysis and interventional procedure planning. CMI has radiologists with advanced level training interpret patients’ breast MRIs.

2007: CMI radiologists perform first breast MRI guided core biopsy.
The latest development in diagnosing breast cancer is taking a biopsy during the breast MRI in real time. This is an extremely accurate way of localizing the suspicious area of breast tissue. 

2009: CMI has performed over 200,000 MRI exams in the past twenty years.
Our capabilities now include a unique combination of open and conventional system MRI diagnostic tests with state of the art medical equipment and a level of professional services often only found at a University setting. Our radiologists have expertise in subspecialty areas including musculoskeletal, breast, neuro and vascular imaging.

October 2016: CMI closes the Ilion location to expand services and to consolidate upgraded services at the main location.

October 2017: CMI installs a state of the art Siemens 3 Tesla Magnetom Skyra MRI.
The new magnet is the most powerful MRI that is clinically available in the U.S.

 

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