Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, has installed a gamma camera on-site to support advanced imaging for cancer and other disease detection.
Also known as a ‘scintillation camera’, the technology represents a £1.75m investment in faster, more accurate diagnoses.
Replacing a 16-year-old model, the scanner – installed in December – offers faster results and greater 3D image clarity for greeting precision when examining the lungs, kidneys, and thyroid as well as bone scans, to detect abnormalities.
'Transform the care we give to patients'
Gamma cameras capture radiation emitted by internal radioisotopes injected into patient bodies to form images, with greater numbers of images allowing for greater detail.
Patients coming for bone scans, for example, are injected with a radiopharmaceutical up to two hours before their scan, which the gamma camera then detects.
Hannah St Barbe Oldham, nuclear medicine lead radiographer, said: “The technology we now have within this gamma camera far exceeds what we have been able to offer until now. The clarity of the 3D images this machine produces will transform the care we can give to patients. Giving our clinicians and surgeons an exact, detailed 3D image will make treating patients faster and ultimately give our patients a better outcome.
“It’s fantastic to see this investment at The QEH and for our local community. I am excited to start implementing new procedures to prevent our patients travelling long distances to receive these kinds of scans.”
'Enhances the skills of our staff'
For some patients, the hybrid nature of the scanner means scan time can be more than halved – down to just 12 minutes per scan, compared to 27 minutes with the previous camera.
The department can look to reduce the amount of radiation given to patients as the service develops.
A dedicated waiting area and toilet facilities are all part of the fully refurbished, lead-lined area right in the heart of the QEH main radiology department, giving patients privacy and a “vastly improved” experience from what is currently available.
The camera will primarily be used for outpatient appointments, meaning patients will be home on the same day, but those staying in hospital can also use the facility.
Alice Webster, CEO of the hospital, said: “The arrival of the new gamma camera is one of several projects we are investing in to transform care for our patients, with significant investments in both buildings and state-of-the-art equipment. This new equipment only further enhances the skills of our staff as we work towards a new QEH for 2030.”
(Image: QEH radiology team and CEO Alice Webster, via the QEH)