GINA B. GOOD / PVTEmilee Dimalanta demonstrates how easy it is for a patient to have a Dexa Scan, which evaluates bone density. The scan is painless and considered a low-dose x-ray. Technicians remain in the room during the scan. Radiology Manager Marsha Sortor sits at the computer looking at the bone density of Dimalanta?s spine, wrist and hip. Advertisement

Desert View Hospital now offers imaging services equal to those found in Las Vegas, according to Marsha Sorter, the hospital's radiology manager.

The latest addition to the department is a Dexa Scan, giving the hospital the ability to evaluate bone density. Sortor said everyone over 30-years-old should have a Dexa Scan to give their physician a base line bone density evaluation in order to measure the health of their bones in the future.

"I recommend that women who are scheduled for a mammogram also ask their physician to order a Dexa Scan," said Sortor.

Dexa Scans can alert patients to diseases such as osteoporosis or osteopenia. Sortor said the scan "will show whether a person falls into the normal ranges. Also, if a person has been diagnosed with one of those conditions and is taking a drug such as Boniva or Reclast, this scan can determine whether the medication is working.

"The Dexa Scan is more like a wellness study to assess fracture risk."

The hospital invested $50,000 in a previously owned DexaScan and had it completely upgraded, adding the latest software. The manufacturer granted a new warranty. "The machine is like new," said Sorter.

Some factors which may play a part in osteo diseases, in addition to hereditary factors, include body type. Being short and petite is an additional risk factor.

The Dexa scan, which may be scheduled 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, is just the newest addition to the Imaging Department.

In 2008, a $500,000 nuclear gamma camera was purchased for organ function studies. "It's one of the newest cameras on the market," explained Sortor, adding, "A patient is injected with radio nuclides which travel to specific organs, like the heart, liver, stomach, and gall bladder, plus others."

MRI's are available locally, too, on Thursdays, using the mobile Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment permanently housed in a large truck that travels easily from Las Vegas to Pahrump.

An MRI is a procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. The pictures can show the difference between normal and diseased tissue. The short bore MRI scanner brought to Pahrump is manufactured by GE with a 1.5 Tesla rating.

"The imaging department averages 2,200 exams per month," said Sortor. "We're looking forward to May, when our contract with the veterans begins. By then, we will have another x-ray system for a total of two rooms.

Sortor is also enthusiastic about the hosital's new Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS). "We can send images to referring physicians and send them in to be read by radiologists.

"Everything will be in a digital format," said Sorter.

"We are growing. Health care doesn't slow down."