Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) has recently upgraded Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH), based in Oakville, ON, by adding a new Angiography-Interventional Suite The latter has a lot of interesting features including the capability of generating high resolution 3D images of cardiovascular system.
In addition, the new suite markedly reduces the radiation delivered to patients during imaging. Installing the new angiography systems means that residents around the hospital will now have full access to high level of interventional radiology service.
Dr. Robert Yu, chief, HHS diagnostic imaging department and interventional radiologist, spoke about the new imaging system. He said “Guided by real time X-ray images, specially trained interventional radiologists can perform minimally invasive, non-surgical, procedures by manipulating catheters, wires, and other miniature instruments through a network of blood vessels, ducts and other pathways, to diagnose and treat a multitude of diseases,” Dr. Yu added “IR technology has really evolved over the last few years and this upgrade has provided us with some incredible new capabilities.”
The new system is also able to provide CT-like scans while patients are still on the angiography procedure table. This means there is no need for moving the patient to a separate CT scanner for imaging.
Dr. Yu continued highlighting the features of the new system. He said “It also comes with sophisticated instrument guidance that provides mapping, which helps us safely navigate around major organs when inserting needles and catheters,” adding “This is invaluable when we are trying to reach a mass deep in the body through a tiny incision during biopsies or procedures.”
Another important feature of the new system is its ability to generate 3D angiograms or X-rays of blood vessels. This feature helps in examining the vascular systems from various angles and identifying conditions such as blocked blood vessels.
Dr. Yu said “Whether we are performing biopsies to rule out cancer or creating blood vessel access for drugs, these new technological advancements and many others, enhance our ability to navigate our instruments in intricate spaces with more finesse and enables us to perform more complex and advanced procedures locally at our community hospital,”
