70 Years of
History
Wake Radiology holds a history of firsts—firsts in Raleigh, firsts in the Triangle, firsts in the state and even firsts in the nation. For over 70 years, we are proud to be the oldest and largest outpatient imaging provider in the Triangle.
Our original office in Cameron Village 70 years ago was only 700 square feet and had one general purpose diagnostic X-ray machine. Raleigh had just 65,000 residents, and private radiology practices were rare in North Carolina. Ours was the first freestanding outpatient imaging and radiation therapy office in the area. The three X-ray technologists doubled as secretaries, and we saw a maximum of ten patients a day.
Our growth began in 1961 when Wake County Memorial Hospital (renamed WakeMed Health & Hospitals) built a new hospital. Wake Radiology lead the radiology department for the main campus as well as its satellite hospitals for 53 years. Since the beginning, we have been fortunate to have expanded in our profession during decades that have seen tremendous advancement in knowledge and technical innovations.
1960
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Introduced nuclear medicine*
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First catheter angiography*
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First lymphangiography*
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Introduced vascular/interventional radiology*
1970
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Introduced outpatient ultrasound*
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First outpatient body CT*
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First outpatient neuro CT scan
1980
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First nuclear cardiology exam*
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Introduced orthopedic imaging***
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Opened first outpatient MRI facility*
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First nephrostomy, biliary and abscess drainage interventional procedures*
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First percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)
1990
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First cardiac MRI*
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First fetal MRI**
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First vertebroplasty***
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First outpatient contrast-enhanced 3D MRA of the carotid, aorta, renal, mesenteric and peripheral arteries**
2020
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First breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) in Wake County
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Opened the area’s first dedicated, comprehensive breast imaging center in Wake County
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Performed first MRI-guided breast biopsy in Wake County
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First outpatient provider in the Triangle to earn the American College of Radiology’s prestigious Breast Imaging Center of Excellence (BICOE) designation
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First multi-site provider in the nation — and the only one in the Triangle — to be certified by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) for bone densitometry
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Opened the region’s only freestanding Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) facility through a joint venture with WakeMed
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Introduced first dedicated outpatient pediatric imaging services in Wake County, offering X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and nuclear medicine