Image-led liver ultrasound screening service launched at Benenden Hospital
The launch of a liver ultrasound screening service at private healthcare provider Benenden Hospital in Kent is said to be the first of its kind in south-east England. It aims to help patients avoid NHS waiting lists and attend fewer appointments, while affording clinicians improved diagnostic confidence. Enabled by Acuson Sequoia Crown ultrasound systems from Siemens Healthineers, the liver scan service speeds up patient pathways and enables earlier intervention for improved patient outcomes.
Gastroenterology consultants at Benenden Hospital, many of whom specialise in hepatology, have relied on referring patients to a local NHS hospital for liver scans when faced with abnormal liver blood tests, until the recent delivery of the two Acuson Sequoia systems. Their introduction allows trained sonographers to scan patients on site, reducing the reliance on high demand NHS resources and the journey to intervention by up to five months.
The screening service at Benenden Hospital performs an accurate assessment of liver stiffness and fat quantification using ultrasound derived fat fraction, while visualising liver tissue for signs of disease. In addition, the systems allow imaging of the wider abdominal area to detect issues that mimic liver disease, without the need for a second scanning appointment.
The Acuson Sequoia systems can be used across a variety of applications with a range of transducers, including the DAX deep abdominal transducer for improved imaging of patients who are traditionally difficult to scan.
“Our recent adoption of image-led liver scanning, aided by Acuson Sequoia Crown ultrasound systems from Siemens Healthineers, has transformed our approach,” said director of clinical services Ali Turner. “Accuracy is paramount when using the transducer to visualise the liver for optimum placement of data collection boxes. Now armed with our own, precise, image-led scans we can confidently assess liver health with our trained sonographers. The clarity of the imaging and diagnostic reporting is fantastic.”
Picture: Lead sonographer Sadie Ridley and Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland lead clinical applications specialist Lewis Hessey.
Published on page 18 of the July 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.
