20 March 2009
Patients across Epsom, Sutton and Merton needing scans to detect cancers or organ problems are set to benefit from a faster and more accurate service, thanks to a new hi-tech gamma camera about to be unveiled at St Helier Hospital.
The £650,000 camera, paid for by the Trust's capital investment programme, will reduce the time it takes to detect illnesses such as cervical and prostate cancer. This means that patients can start their treatment earlier, which it is hoped will help save lives.
It detects a very small dose of a radioactive substance which is injected into a patient's body. This allows doctors to build up a picture of the way an organ such as a kidney, thyroid or heart is functioning. It also tells doctors about the progress of certain diseases such as cancers.
The state-of-the-art camera allows its images to be fused with other images taken with Computerised Tomography (CT). CT is a specialist x-ray technique which looks for and detects any unusual growths within the body. This highly specialised camera is one of a very small number available to patients across London and the south east.
Dr Mary Warren is the Trust's lead for diagnostic imaging and her team is responsible for undertaking thousands of x-rays and scans on patients each year. She said: "Gamma cameras are the latest technology in the fight against cancer and organ failure. The new camera will allow us to build up a picture of the way an organ is working, rather than what it looks like. It will give doctors more information about the patient's illness than ever before and will undoubtedly help save lives. It will help us detect problems quicker, which means we can start treating patients faster. The gamma camera will also help us to make surgery more precise."
The gamma camera can move around the patient which can assist those who are very ill, reducing the need for patients to change position.
Dr Warren added: "Without the gamma camera, patients would have to travel out of the area to be scanned. Not only does this place an added burden on the patient, but it can slow down the time it takes patients to get scanned."
As well as installing the new camera, an extra £100,000 has been spent on improving the unit in which the device is based, providing a more comfortable environment for patients who are waiting to be scanned.
The Trust's nuclear medicine department sees approximately 10 child and adult patients each day and serves the Epsom, Sutton and St Helier catchment area.
