Over 157,400 examinationsat Radiology Department

More than 157,400 examinations were performed at the Radiology Department of St Luke's Hospital last year and the number could increase over the years following the acquisition of a state-of-the-art CT scan which was inaugurated earlier this week.

The number of examinations went up from 109,881 in 1997 to 157,464 last year, statistics provided by the Health Ministry show.

The new CT scan is expected to replace invasive angiogram tests for high-risk patients, Radiology Department chairman Pierre Vassallo said. Speaking to The Times, Dr Vassallo said these include patients who have a number of blocked veins.

Angiograms are used to show any blocked blood vessels, after special dye is injected into the arterial system of an organ. Although in theory angiograms conducted to check any blocked blood vessels can now be done through CT scanning, Dr Vassallo said conventional angiography cannot yet be replaced, considering the number of people who needed to use the CT scan.

Moreover, he said, conventional angiography was at times used as a treatment for blocked veins, which would not be possible through scanning.

Angiography is only one of the list of scans, including tests of the liver and bronchi, that can be done with the new scanner.

Apart from providing better quality results, the scanner also reduces the amount of time a patient needs to spend under the scanner. Joseph Cassar, the manager of the Radiology Services, said this was beneficial especially when scanning children, sick and disabled people and those suffering from claustrophobia.

"It gives you the quality you need for a proper diagnosis, while accelerating the process so that the patient is lying down for less time," he said, explaining that while scanning used to take about 20 minutes before, it is now done in about two minutes. Dr Vassallo explained that since it takes a relatively short time for a scan to be complete, it was less likely for a patient to move.

Mr Cassar said operators have commented positively on picture clarity. Moreover, because it does not take a long time to scan a person, urgent cases can be accommodated without having to wait for a long time. Dr Vassallo said the end image was much better because the organs could be seen with more clarity.

"We can also conduct examinations which we could not do before. One example is three-dimensional tests, which are very good for planning surgery, especially since the image can be manipulated and seen from different angles," Mr Cassar said. The images can also be used to plan radiotherapy.

A staggering 10,000 CT scans are conducted annually. Asked whether the number would increase since it took less time to scan a person with the new scanner, Dr Vassallo said staff were still needed to read the scans, even though the clearer images would reduce interpretation time. He said the plan was to increase the number of radiologists, adding that a group of radiologists were currently studying abroad and were expected to return to Malta.

The acquisition of the new scanner followed the refurbishment of the MRI scanner two years ago. Mr Cassar said about 5,000 MRI scans are done annually.

Mr Cassar said the Radiology Department had recently invested in two new X-Ray machines with digital technology, which are used in theatres. "These produce a clearer image, with a reduced dose of rays, thus reducing the risks to the patient," he said.

Two ultrasound machines were also bought in the past months, and Mr Cassar said these provide better images, with more clarity and definition. The new equipment is expected to be taken to Mater Dei Hospital when it starts operating and the Radiology Department moves there.