Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound

08/18/2025

MRI is exceptional at delivering high quality examinations of the joints. Two of the areas we image frequently are the shoulder and knee. Ligament and cartilage tears are the most common injuries of these joints, and luckily, they can be treated with excellent outcomes if caught early. Here are a couple of examples of these types of injuries visualized on MRI.
Ultrasound is also used for examining the joints, particularly the shoulder, and may be indicated depending on the specific pathology your doctor is suspecting. Ultrasound is faster and easier than MRI and can be preferred in some circumstances.
While knees and shoulders are the most common joints that are injured, we also are able to image the elbow, wrist, ankle and hip – and even fingers and toes!
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound is conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC, and offers MRI and Ultrasound exams with no wait times. For further information, including fees, location, contact details and booking information, please visit our web site: http://www.peacemri.com/

05/20/2025

03/04/2025

One of the conditions that MRI is frequently used to diagnose is Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and is particularly prevalent in Canada, which has one of the highest rates of MS in the world. Currently over 90,000 Canadians have MS, with 3 times as many women diagnosed with it than men. On average 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS every day. This generally presents in adults in the 20 – 49 age group. MS results in the degradation of the coating of the nerve fibres, resulting in an interruption of their ability to transmit signals. This then manifests in a loss of sensation and function of motor abilities. Advanced MS is completely debilitating. While there are treatments aimed at preserving function for as long as possible and mitigating the symptoms, there is no currently known cure.
MS is diagnosed through the use MRI. Other imaging modalities, such as CT Scan, are not capable of visualizing the lesions associated with MS. The images shown here demonstrate many MS plaques in the brain, seen as bright (white) patches. MS lesions can also be present in the spinal cord. At Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound we have extensive experience in acquiring the required images to diagnose MS in both the brain and spinal cord.
For more information on MS, or to support those living with it, please visit: https://mssociety.ca/about-ms
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound provides expedited MRI and Ultrasound exams with no wait times, and is conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC. More information on our services, rates and contact information may be found at: http://www.peacemri.com/

02/06/2025

We were pleased to host Larry Neufeld, MLA for the Peace River South riding. Please feel free to comment on his page to show your support of more options for medical imaging in this area. It would be so beneficial to the residents to have the government and health authority backing better access to health care!

https://www.facebook.com/LarryNeufeldSouthPeace/posts/pfbid0CF48qkUj2xpxnATzvR4V8DFY1fbE5q8RGynZZ9MhzzKMjJx8wRjDNtD8FS7jAHMpl

11/27/2024

Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound provides the most comprehensive Whole Body MRI Screening Exam available. If you are considering having a Whole Body Screening MRI, make sure to do your research first. Many facilities that offer this exam only take a superficial look at each area that they scan, or even leave some areas out completely. While they often do not itemize the exact areas they cover or the number of different types of images they acquire of each area, this can be inferred by the duration of the length of time the scan. Many of the facilities offer Whole Body scans that only take 30-60 minutes, just a quick look at each area! In reality to actually perform a thorough exam several complimentary scans of each area are required. At Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound we go above and beyond the bare minimum offered by other sites and commit to a full examination which can take approximately 2 hours or more. Also take careful note of the many disclaimers on other facilities websites that offer Whole Body Screening exams to understand just what they do and do not actually cover!
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound offer a Whole Body Screening MRI of the Head and Torso for $1,950. This exam lasts approximately 2 hours and includes a full MRI of the Head, coverage of the entire length of the spine, and imaging of the entire chest, abdomen and pelvis. For an additional fee of $600, a cardiac MRI can be added to this exam, or for an additional $300, an examination of the arteries from the heart to the brain can also be added. Details of these exams are below, or can be found on our website at: http://www.peacemri.com/details-wholebody.html
Your referring physician will be provided with a full report on all the areas we cover with this exam. Of course, you will also be provided with all the images we acquire.
Whole body screening MRI examination does not replace a dedicated scan of a specific area that your physician has a concern with. If you have a known medical condition that requires specific imaging, you should arrange for dedicated imaging of that area. Whole body screening is a useful exam to give an overview of your general imaging health.
A Whole Body Screening MRI exam of the Head and Torso will include the following areas for assessment:
Head - A full routine head scan is performed, consisting of at least 5 different types of images to assess for overall brain health, ischemia, MS, tumors, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and many other conditions.
Spine - Imaging of the entire length of the spine is performed. This includes dedicated imaging of the Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar sections, allowing for assessment of disc, bone and spinal cord health.
Chest - Several types of images are acquired of the chest. While MRI is not the preferred modality for imaging the lungs, it does provide a good overview of the overall health of chest and will allow for some types of lesions to be visualized. Both specialized Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR) sequences are routinely included in addition to our standard imaging.
Abdomen - All the organs of the abdomen are included in the Whole Body Screening exam. While not a dedicated exam for any one organ, whole body screening gives a good overview of all the organs. We include both specialized DWI and STIR imaging in addition to our routine sequences.
Pelvis - Both soft tissue organs and bony anatomy are visualized in the pelvic section of the Whole Body Screening exam. As with the chest and abdomen, we include the specialized DWI and STIR imaging to aid in the detection and identification of several types of pathology. If specific concerns regarding symptoms attributable to individual organs are indicated, we recommend your doctor requests a dedicated MRI exam for those indications. A dedicated prostate MRI is not included in this exam.
Optionally, the following exams may be added to the Whole Body Screening at additional cost:
Carotids - A Magnetic Resonance Angiogram without the need for an injection of contrast dye to cover the carotid and associated arteries. This allows for assessment of blockages, aneurysms, stenosis or malformations of the blood vessels that travel from the heart to the brain (Carotid, Vertebral and Basilar arteries).
Heart (Cardiac) - A series of images of the heart are acquired, allowing the motion of the heart beating to be assessed. Our cardiac MRI radiologist will measure your cardiac function and include this in the detailed report your physician will receive. This includes an assessment of wall motion, ejection fractions and overall health of the myocardium (heart tissue).
Whole body screening MRI is our most lengthy exam. In order to fully image all the areas as described above the appointment will take approximately 2 hours for the Head and Torso and an additional 1 hour for the Cardiac and Carotids. For those who would have difficulty remaining in the scanner for this entire duration, we recommend that the exam be split into two sessions. These can be done on the same day with a short break in between (perhaps for lunch or shopping?) or on two separate days. Please let us know what your preference is at the time of booking your exam. We would be pleased to accommodate your needs.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound is conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC, and offers MRI and Ultrasound exams with no wait times. For further information, including fees, location, contact details and booking information, please visit our web site: http://www.peacemri.com/

10/23/2024

We often are asked by our clients which type of test is best for them, MRI, CT Scan or Ultrasound? Each of these has its pros and cons. MRI uses no harmful radiation and can image most body parts, however it takes a long time (30 min - 2 hours) and may be difficult for some patients due to claustrophobia or the need to stay still for this duration. CT Scan is fast (often just a couple of minutes) and is particularly good for lungs, but uses radiation so may not be the best choice in young or pregnant patients. Ultrasound, like MRI, does not use any radiation. It is relatively quick (up to about 30 minutes) and is able to image most body parts, but has difficulty in areas surrounded by bone such as the brain. All three types of tests are painless.
Each type of scan can show different diseases or pathologies. Often your doctor will make the decision on what test to order for you based on what they are specifically looking for. If you have questions about what is best for you, please contact us and we can help you and your doctor make an informed choice. Our radiologists are available to consult with your physician to determine the best test for you based on your symptoms.
There are times that your physician may order one type of test, but it may be changed to another type of test. This could occur if the wait time for the original test is so long that it becomes impractical to wait, so a test with a shorter wait time becomes more appropriate. If you are in a position of having to wait a long time for the test your physician has ordered, check with them to see if another type of test with a shorter wait time might show everything they need to see.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound offers expedited MRI and Ultrasound exams, but not CT Scan. We are conveniently located in Dawson Creek. Details on the exams we offer, our location, fees and contact information may be obtained on our website:
http://www.peacemri.com/

08/24/2024

All imaging modalities are able to assess your blood vessels, but both MRI and Ultrasound are the only ones that do not use any radiation to do so. Ultrasound is a fast, easy exam that can look at most of your blood vessels. It is particularly good at examining the blood vessels in your legs and arms, typically looking for clots (deep vein thrombosis or DVT – shown in the image here), or examining the vessels in your neck, such as the carotid arteries looking for narrowing caused by a build up of calcium or cholesterol. Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is also used to show the health of your blood vessels. This is particularly useful if you have a history of arteriosclerosis (a narrowing of your arteries) or a family history of aneurysms. While Ultrasound can look at many of your arteries, it cannot assess those within your brain. CT Scan can only visualize the arteries, but uses radiation and cannot see the veins at the same time as the arteries. MRA can show both the arteries and veins and does not use any harmful radiation. Check out the movie showing an MRA of the arteries and veins in the head http://www.peacemri.com/images/Head-MRA_AVM.mp4 . This demonstrates an AVM, which is an abnormal network of vessels connecting the arteries to the veins.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound provides expedited imaging with no wait times. We are conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC and service the entire Peace region. Contact us at 250-784-0040 or visit our website: http://www.peacemri.com for more information including fees, location and services we offer.

Private MRI and Ultrasound clinic providing expedited MRI and Ultrasound imaging services.

07/02/2024

One of the most common exams we perform is an MRI of the Shoulder. MRI is a very effective way of visualizing various injuries that occur in the shoulder. Here we have a good example of a patient that had a shoulder MRI exam showing intact tendons of the rotator cuff (red arrow), but was re-imaged after an injury where one tendon was completely torn. The tear is seen as the white area between the two yellow arrows, with the tendon (red arrow) moving away from the bone and towards the muscle. This type of injury needs surgical repair. If the patient waits too long between the injury and the surgery, allowing the tendon to retract further and the muscle to atrophy, the surgery becomes much more difficult and less likely to result in complete recovery. There may also be the possibility that the patient is no longer able to have the surgery as the repair becomes impossible. Waiting for months to obtain imaging and then another wait to obtain surgery is not in anyone’s best interests!
In many cases an Ultrasound of the shoulder can identify similar injuries. This is less expensive and faster than an MRI, so it is worthwhile asking your physician which is the better option in your particular circumstance.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound provides expedited imaging with no wait times. We are conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC and service the entire Peace region. Contact us at 250-784-0040 or visit our website: http://www.peacemri.com for more information including fees, location and services we offer.

06/10/2024

Are you suffering from knee pain, lack of mobility or instability?
The cause of these may be a very wide range of problems. Orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians rely on MRI and Ultrasound to further clarify the issue and guide treatment. Demonstrated here are a few of the potential causes of knee pain or instability.
MRI is excellent at showing tears of the ligaments that serve to stabilize the knee including the Lateral and Medial Co-lateral Ligaments, ACL, PCL and accessory ligaments. We also frequently detect tears of the cartilage discs that cushion the knee joint, known as the medial and lateral meniscus. Baker’s cysts, as well as meniscal cysts and other synovial cysts are often seen. We are also able to assess the articular cartilage that lines the bones, quantifying any wear, thinning or defects within this cartilage. In addition, overall knee health and degree of arthritic changes can be determined. Less common pathologies, such as masses, fractures or loose bodies are also easily seen with MRI. In some cases, Ultrasound may be used if specific pathologies are suspected (such as cysts or soft tissue masses). Your physician can advise you on the best imaging procedure in your individual case, and what the appropriate treatment would be after you have your imaging exam.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound is conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC, and offers MRI and Ultrasound exams with no wait times. For further information, including fees, location, contact details and booking information, please visit our web site: http://www.peacemri.com/

Private MRI and Ultrasound clinic providing expedited MRI and Ultrasound imaging services.

05/20/2024

There are many conditions affecting the spine that can only be seen on MRI. These include MS, tumors of the spine or cord, strokes of the spinal cord (cord infarcts), bruises within the spinal cord (cord contusions), and fluid within the spinal cord (Syringomyelia). MRI is also the preferred method to see other spinal injuries such as protruding discs, scar tissue from previous surgeries, fractures, arthritis, inflammation and congenital abnormalities. Neurologists and neurosurgeons rely on MRI to determine the best possible treatment for all these conditions. In many cases the treatment of conditions affecting the spinal cord should be performed as quickly as possible, since delaying treatment could result in permanent disablement or loss of function. Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound has the equipment and expertise to provide accurate and thorough imaging of all areas of the spine.
Peace Regional MRI and Ultrasound is conveniently located in downtown Dawson Creek, BC, and offers MRI and Ultrasound exams with no wait times. For further information, including fees, location, contact details and booking information, please visit our web site: http://www.peacemri.com/

Private MRI and Ultrasound clinic providing expedited MRI and Ultrasound imaging services.