First for Scotland as Forth Valley Royal installs interventional imaging equipment
Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, has installed the Alphenix Sky+, making it the first hospital in Scotland to benefit from Canon Medical’s most advanced ceiling-mounted imaging system. This will bring complex interventional procedures in-house and increase patient throughput.
The Alphenix Sky+ is said to offer superior imaging quality and the 220° rotation needed to carry out complex precision procedures such as prostate artery embolisation. This is expected to improve clinical workflow efficiencies by reducing the need for patient referral to alternative hospitals in Scotland. In addition, patients with vascular and renal conditions that previously required major surgery can now undergo treatment through minimally invasive techniques.
The Alphenix Sky+ also enables the hospital to carry out examinations of the uterus for women experiencing fertility issues and treat uterine fibroids, reducing the need for more invasive procedures or surgery.
Radiology services manager at NHS Forth Valley Jennifer Gilchrist commented: “While our previous radiology imaging system served us well, technology has significantly advanced since its purchase 12 years ago. We needed new state-of-the-art equipment that would provide crystal clear, high quality images to enable us to carry out a broader range of precision procedures in-house.”
Featuring a double C-arm with full rotation from either the right or left side of the table, the Alphenix Sky+ can capture scans from all angles, while integrated AI technology allows the operator to create a high resolution 3D image from a 2D set of data. This is important for complex procedures and scans, including inserting small metal coils into veins or arteries to cut off the blood supply to tumours and placing stents.
Combined with an integrated workstation, the Alphenix Sky+ system significantly reduces restrictions on examinations and procedures, aiding greater operator workflow and increasing overall productivity, says Canon.
In addition, Forth Valley Royal Hospital has installed Canon Medical’s Ultimax-i x-ray machine to further build diagnostic capacity and resilience at the hospital. The new machine, housed in the fluoroscopy room, enables high quality images and videos to be captured using contrast dye. This can be used to examine patients experiencing difficulty chewing and swallowing food, which can often happen after a stroke. It can also be used to assess joints to determine if a patient would benefit from a hip or knee replacement and help with the precise positioning of stents.
Picture: The team at Forth Valley Royal Hospital with Canon Medical Systems UK director of sales CT/MR/XR/HIT Alistair Howseman.
Published on page 3 of our August 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.
