Around one hundred people attended the celebratory event on 16th February
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the arrival of magnetic resonance imaging in Girona. February 2nd, 1998, is an important date for healthcare in the Girona regions: the first magnetic resonance imaging scan for the Girona regions was performed at Clínica Girona. This development saved approximately 7,000 residents of Girona from having to travel to Barcelona to undergo the test. The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging meant that Girona's healthcare system gained access to the most advanced imaging technique for making accurate diagnoses of illnesses throughout the body.
The celebration of this anniversary took place on Thursday 16th February 2023, at 7 pm, in the Auditorium of Clínica Girona, with introductory remarks by the Manager of Clínica Girona, Mr. Carles Espígol, and Dr. Miquel Carreras. Mr. Carles Espígol, Manager of the Girona Health Region of the Catalan Health Service, then introduced three short presentations:
“25 Years of Magnetic Resonance at Girona Clinic – Dr. Kai Vilanova, Co-Director of the Magnetic Resonance Service – Girona Clinic
“Current indications for Magnetic Resonance Imaging”, by Dr. Joaquim Barceló, Co-Director of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Department – Girona Clinic
“25 More Years of Advances in Magnetic Resonance,” by Dr. Roberto García Figueiras, Head of the Radiology Department at the University Hospital Clínic.
The event was attended by around fifty people.
460,000 explorations in 25 years
The MRI Service at Clínica Girona began with an apparatus that offered the necessary services for the technology of the time. The increase in demand for the technique led Clínica Girona to install a second apparatus at the end of 1999. In this case, it was an apparatus that was particularly useful for people with claustrophobia. The progressive demand for the technique and also the great evolution of MRI technology led to the installation of two more apparatuses during these years. One of these apparatuses, installed in 2009, allows the body to be studied while standing, which improves the ability to diagnose spinal conditions that cannot be detected with standard studies. Over these 25 years, 460,000 MRI scans have been carried out in the Service.
The great technological evolution
The great technological evolution of radiology, particularly due to the spectacular progress of magnetic resonance imaging over the past 25 years, has been reflected in the service itself, with the updating of equipment and, especially, the offering of all the most innovative services that the technique allows for in magnetic resonance imaging studies. Currently, at the new Clínica Girona, all types of MRI are available, from the highest power at 3T and 1.5T, to open equipment for claustrophobic patients, with the possibility of performing studies in a standing position. Nowadays, it is possible to study and diagnose any disease in our body thanks to the extraordinary capacity of magnetic resonance imaging to show anatomical images of the highest quality. It is possible to conduct studies of any anatomical area and even obtain real-time, moving images, such as of the heart, with maximum precision.
The Magnetic Resonance Service at Clínica Girona has been directed from its inception by Drs. Joan Carles Vilanova and Joaquim Barceló, specialists in radiodiagnostics. Both radiologists incorporated the most advanced imaging from the outset; and due to the natural evolution of magnetic resonance, all the most innovative techniques currently possible have been integrated over the years. The dedication of Drs. Vilanova and Barceló to the development and evolution of magnetic resonance technology itself has made the Service a benchmark today, both within Spain and internationally, particularly in the oncological field and especially in prostate cancer.
Pioneers
The Department has been a pioneer in Spain in implementing a very useful technique for cancer, namely whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. For 3 years, the Department has been a pioneer in Spain in performing prostate biopsies with a robotic device integrated into the same magnetic resonance imaging equipment. Over these years, the two radiologists have participated in multiple research projects in different fields of medicine, having published more than 120 articles in journals with the highest impact and having presented these studies at various national and international conferences. Many of these works have been recognised with different awards at radiology conferences; most notably, the highest distinction at the European Congress of Radiology in 2006 and in 2010 at the World Radiology Congress, which is held annually in Chicago, USA.
As a result of this research work, the Magnetic Resonance Service at Clínica Girona was recognised when it received the Bonastruc ça Porta 2016 award from the COMG “for its professional career and for innovation in the oncological field”. In 2018, a leading international book on magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer was published, edited with the participation of the Service Directors, Drs. Vilanova and Barceló.
