May 2010
Consultants and staff at Spire Hartswood Hospital in Brentwood celebrated the opening of the hospital’s first Computed Tomography (CT) scanner on 13 May. The new scanner adjoins the hospital’s MRI scanner which opened in 2009.
The new Toshiba Aquilion 64-slice scanner can scan the liver, kidneys, pancreas, bowel, lungs, pelvis, sinuses, musculoskeletal system, brain and heart. It can scan the entire heart in just 12 seconds.
Mark Gilmour, Hospital Director, said “This £1m investment is an important step forward for the hospital. Patients now have access to CT scans six days a week and we can perform urgent scans on the same day as the patient sees their consultant.”
Senior CT radiographer, Dev Matabudul, recently joined Spire Hartswood Hospital to lead the team who will operate the new scanner. Dev is one of the most experienced CT radiographers in the UK, having worked in this field since 1978 when he helped run the first CT scanner at the former Oldchurch Hospital in Romford.
“The new scanner is great for patients because its high speed minimises the radiation dose required for each scan”, said Dev. “It produces amazingly sharp and precise images to help doctors give an accurate diagnosis to their patients. This means that cancer treatment and other surgery can be planned to meet each patient’s precise needs, depending on the stage of their disease.”
The new scanner can perform Calcium Scoring to help detect coronary heart disease. A calcium scoring scan generates information on calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, the vessels that supply oxygen-containing blood to the heart. Coronary artery disease occurs where plaque (made up of fat and other substances including calcium) builds up in a coronary artery.
All patients having a CT scan must be referred by a GP, consultant or other doctor. For more information or to book a CT scan, please call 01277 266 785.