New Scanner Will Speed Up Waiting Times

Date: Monday, January 31, 2005
Time: Noon
Venue: West Suffolk Hospital ­ go to reception in Radiography and ask for Nigel Beeton

A new state-of-the-art CT scanner will be unveiled at West Suffolk Hospital on Monday (Jan 31). The new scanner will speed up waiting times for patients and improve diagnosis of illnesses.

Computerised Tomography (CT) is a method of using X-rays to produce multiple cross-sectional (slice-like) pictures of any part of the body. CT scans help identify abnormalities of the brain, heart, blood vessels and other parts of the body.

The new scanner is one of the latest in CT technology, producing 16 multiple slice images at high speed. This means that examination times for patients are shorter whilst the quantity and quality of diagnostic information is increased.

The hospital currently has a single slice CT scanner, which was paid for by through public fundraising in the 1980s. Funds left over from the money raised to keep the old scanner running have gone towards building an extension to house the new bigger and better scanner.

Nigel Beeton, Imaging Services Manager, said: "CT scanners have come on leaps and bounds since the 1990s as a result of new technology and the sheer power of modern computers.

"These images will make clinical diagnosis easier for medical staff, which will, in turn, help them to deliver better patient care and treatment."

The scanner, which costs £550,000, has been funded by Department Of Health.

27 January 2005