With New Scanner’s Arrival, MRI Suite Expansion Nears Completion

Last month, the University of Virginia’s University Hospital had an important arrival. Its name? “Sola,” a 1.5T MRI scanner, who was delivered on January 18.

Sola’s presence marks a major milestone for UVA’s MRI suite expansion, which is nearing completion. James Carnes, UVA Radiology’s medical center administrator, said the project is projected to finish in mid-March.

The current MRI suite contains just three scanners that serve the entire hospital, as well as outpatients that can’t be imaged at UVA’s other sites.

This expansion will bolster UVA’s MRI capabilities, repurposing the vacant space that previously housed the Interventional Radiology suite (which moved to the South Tower in early 2020).  The renovation includes space for Sola as a fourth scanner, as well as a possible fifth scanner in the future.

It’s been a long journey for the expansion project. In 2020, the project was halted indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But work on the expansion resumed approximately a year ago, and now construction is projected to end in mid-March.

As for the prospective fifth scanner, Carnes anticipates that they’ll submit the necessary Certificate of Public Need (COPN) this coming fall.