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Imaging/X-Ray Service

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VA Portland Imaging services provides comprehensive diagnostic and clinical imaging services for Veterans utilizing the latest state-of-the-art equipment.
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VA Portland Health Care System Imaging Services provides comprehensive diagnostic and clinical imaging services for Veterans utilizing the latest state-of-the-art equipment. The trained and qualified team of VA Portland technical experts are committed to maintaining a leading edge of innovation in imaging and is an early adopter of new technologies in imaging.

The VA Portland Imaging Services Team truly cares about our Veterans and provides world class imaging services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Radiology appointments

Please contact the Imaging Scheduling Line at 503-273-5126.

Computed Tomography (CT) Division

VA Portland was one of the first VA sites in the U.S. to install the Philips IQon Spectral CT scanner (a major advance in Dual Energy CT scanning) which has revolutionized tumor imaging and CT angiograms, in addition to having a 128 Slice Philips Ingenuity CT Scanner.  The VA Portland Imaging Service uses an artificial intelligence program called ClearRead CT that significantly improves the sensitivity of lung nodule detection. We locally developed specific codes we apply to our radiology reports which automate the follow-up recommendations for patients with lung nodules, as well as codes used for our *Lung Cancer Screening program. 

VA Portland was selected for a VA pilot program to help implement lung cancer screening within VA and our program, under the direction of  Dr. Christopher G. Slatore, MD, is considered one of the top programs in the VA.  As of spring 2021, VA Portland has performed more than 7,000 lung cancer screening CT scans, saving many lives.

 

Staff posing with Philips Vereos digital PET/CT

Dr. Ron Boucher, Chief of Imaging, and Laura Hatfield, Chief Technologist of Imaging, pose in 2018 with the newly-installed Philips Vereos digital PET/CT at Portland VA Medical Center.

Nuclear Medicine Division

Another example of innovation at VA Portland; we were also one of the first VA sites in the U.S. to install the Philips Vereos digital PET/CT scanner which has a much higher resolution than traditional non-digital PET/CT scanners.  

The VA Portland Imaging Nuclear Medicine Division has the following equipment available to best serve our Veterans. 

  • Philips Vereos digital PET/CT scanner
  • Siemens Symbia SPECT/CT
  • Siemens Symbia Intevo SPECT/CT
  • Siemens Symbia Intevo Bold SPECT/CT scanner

The Nuclear Medicine Division was an early adopter of the Gallium 68 Dotatate PET/CT which when compared to an In111 Octreotide scan has much better resolution with significantly lower radiation dose, an easier patient prep, and much faster scan time for the evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors.  

Nuclear medicine also performs DaT SPECT/CT scans which are used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease much earlier than traditional methods. The Nuclear Medicine Division is also involved in Carbon 14 research with OHSU and works with interventional radiology in Y-90 liver tumor treatments.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Division

The MRI division has a GE 1.5T 450 wide bore MR scanner and soon will be installing a Siemens 3.0T VIDA big bore MR scanner.  The MRI division is on the leading edge of care with their pacemaker/ICD program, currently scanning patients with conditional and non-conditional pacemakers/ICDs with the support of an electrophysiologist Cardiologist on site.  The MRI division is also involved in traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and part of the center of excellence for multiple sclerosis research.

Interventional Radiology (IR) Division

The IR division has a Philips Biplane angiography unit and is installing a Canon Infinix-i 4D CT/Infinix-i sky angiography unit that allows them to perform a CT scan in the middle of an angiography procedure if they need more information, without moving the patient. 

The IR division is also at the forefront of oncology care performing CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of liver and renal neoplasms and was the 2nd VA in the nation to offer Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) liver tumor treatments which is a minimally invasive treatment which can slow or cure liver cancer.

IR uses the Medivis SurgicalAR system, a breakthrough augmented reality surgical/interventional system that allows for a virtual reality fusion of a patient’s existing cross-sectional imaging data (CT, MRI) with the actual patient on the interventional table to increase understanding and precision of an interventional procedure.  

The IR division has been a leader in the limb salvage program with advanced angiography procedures to improve extremity blood flow, saving patients from amputation.  The VA Portland IR team is the first VA site to perform geniculate artery embolization for pain relief in a patient with end-stage knee degeneration who is not a candidate for a knee arthroplasty.  Interventional radiology has also performed a recently developed procedure for prostate embolization as a non-operative treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Ultrasound Division

The Ultrasound division has five GE Logiq E10 ultrasound machines which are used for all routine ultrasound examinations, ultrasound guided biopsy procedures, and are also critical for the evaluation of posttransplant patients in support of the VA Portland liver and renal transplantation programs.

X-Ray Division

The X-Ray division has cutting edge and streamlined equipment including: five Shimadzu DR X-ray rooms, five total Canon and Fuji DR portable machines and soon will be getting six new OIC Elite C-arms.  The division has one O-arm device which is used with stealth software for spine surgeries.

Fluoroscopy Division

The Fluoroscopy division has a Shimadzu Sonialvision G4 Remote Fluoroscopy room and a classic GE Fluoroscopy room to perform gastroenterology studies. They also have a Siemens Artis Zee C-arm fluoroscopy room used for joint injections and aspirations.

Information Technology

We use Carestream PACS for our picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with advanced image manipulation programs, Philips IntelliSpace Portal and TeraRecon available for radiologists and technologists. We will soon be the first VA hospital to install Vaultara which is an Amazon web cloud image sharing program to expedite importing outside imaging studies into the Portland VA.  We currently monitor radiation dose information with GE’s DoseWatch program.

Vancouver Outpatient Imaging Center (VOICE)

Photo of GE Revolution Evo 128 slice CT scanner.

GE Revolution Evo 128 slice CT scanner located at the VOICE on the VA Vancouver campus.

VOICE is a temporary ambulatory outpatient imaging center located on the VA Vancouver campus and opened in May 2018. VOICE brings high end radiology services to outpatients within a modular building in Vancouver, Washington.  This includes a GE 750W 3.0T Signa Architect MRI scanner, a 128 slice GE Revolution EVO CT scanner, a GE Logiq E10 ultrasound machine, a GE Precision 600 FP Fluoroscopy, two Shimadzu DR X-ray rooms, and a RadPRO portable X-ray machine.  We are just starting construction on the VOICE 2 which is a permanent building on the Vancouver campus which will include all of the above equipment plus a second 3.0T MRI scanner, a second Ultrasound machine, and a second fluoroscopy room with more room to allow higher patient capacity and improved handicap access.

GE Discovery 750W 3.0T MRI scanner.

GE Discovery 750W 3.0T MRI scanner at the VOICE on the VA Vancouver Campus.