Sonora Medical Systems, Longmont, CO repairs coils and sells MR test equipment. Bruce Smith, VP, says that Sonora services coils for users worldwide. "We service coils manufactured by and for the major OEMs, as well as third party coils." He confirmed that some OEMs do not have their own repair shops and have to rely on reputable ISOs to do their repairs and refurbishing. He also said that because of branding and outsourcing, "it's hard to say how many coils are manufactured by OEMs or independent companies."

LeRoy Blawat, president, Resonant Diagnostics LCC and Resonant Research LCC, Milwaukee, WI, has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the MR coil business. Blawat has worked at Medical Advances, MEDRAD, and GE in the coil research and development departments, and is very well versed in the latest MR coil technologies. He repairs and designs coils, including the new 3T coils. "3T coil geometries are basically the same as the 1.5T coil designs except there are more parts and more safety countermeasures employed due to the higher operating frequency," says Blawat. "With the newer GE coils, there are replacement parts that are hard to get because of their propriety nature. If a coil repair shop intends to play in this new 3T market, second sourcing of these critical parts will be a game changer for the companies that can do it well." Meaning, if you can't get the part from an OEM, then you have to go to an independent company that you can rely on. "You have to find a reliable source for those parts, because clients want a working part back as quickly as possible so they can go on with their services," explains Blawat. "Based on what I've seen, a hospital can save 30 to 40 percent on the average by buying refurbished coils," he added.





Rick Sagadin, president, Carolina Medical Parts, Winston Salem, NC, says that CMP has repaired several 3.0T coils this past year. "The biggest difference between 3T and 1.5T coils are the dramatic differences in component values and the difficulty in sourcing such specialized components," states Sagadin. He says that CMP typically tries to provide a full coil repair experience for each coil, including the electronics, cables and the coil cosmetics. "While there are two basic types of coil design, each manufacturer does it differently with their own interfaces and circuitry," says Sagadin. He believes that a hospital can save 30 to 50 percent on a refurbished coil, and a coil repair will run only about 10 to 15 percent of the replacement cost.

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