Staff at Musgrove Park Hospital, part of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, UK, are celebrating the installation of a MAGNETOM Avanto 1.5 Tesla MRI from Siemens Healthcare.
The system has been installed in a new MRI suite in the Diagnostic Imaging department and was officially unveiled by the Trust’s Chairman Ros Wyke, with consultant radiologists and members of the strategic project team also in attendance.
The installation will enable the hospital to carry out cardiac MRI for the first time and enhance neurological procedures to offer a new stroke imaging service.
The system will also be used for general musculoskeletal, hepato-biliary and pelvic scanning and will help to provide additional capacity for scanning of oncology patients, to coincide with the opening of the hospital’s Beacon Cancer Centre.
This will include whole body imaging for prostate cancer. Two spinal surgeons at the hospital are also keen to explore the potential use of the Avanto to assist in examinations of patients suffering from spinal abnormalities.
Siemens’ intuitive syngo VIEWS application, powered by Tim (Total imaging matrix) technology, has also been purchased with the Avanto. syngo VIEWS provides high spatial and temporal resolution for 3D bilateral breast imaging. Fast image acquisition and full coverage of both breasts will enable the hospital to further develop the excellent diagnostic service in its breast care department.
“We carried out very detailed market research on the MRI systems offered by the major healthcare providers and the Avanto was clearly well ahead,” said Gillian Stapleton, Deputy Clinical Manager and MRI Project Manager at Musgrove Park Hospital.
“Siemens came out on top in our tender return evaluation and its representatives were very easy to work with. Although scanning has only just started with the Avanto, we have already noticed its excellent image quality and we anticipate that its advanced coil technology will allow us to achieve a high level of streamlined workflow, patient throughput and efficiency.”
“The Avanto’s inviting design and low table position help create a more relaxed scanning environment for patients, while its fast image acquisition and superior quality provide better results for diagnosis,” said Darren Parker, Regional Sales Manager at Siemens Healthcare.
“Our Tim technology will also allow Musgrove Park Hospital to provide even greater flexibility in the services it can now offer to patients.
