New scanner for hospital

DOCTORS at Shellharbour Hospital are now able to diagnose life-threatening conditions such as stroke and cardiovascular disease much faster with an on-site CT scanner now operational.

NSW Minister for Health John Hatzistergos said patients presenting to Shellharbour Hospital emergency department no longer need to be transferred to Wollongong Hospital for CT scans, providing a much quicker on-site diagnosis and freeing up nurses to remain on the ward.

This is a significant boost to the hospitals medical imaging and diagnostic capability and a real improvement for patient care, he said.

Previously around 70 patients per week had to be transferred to Wollongong Hospital for CT scans, a trip requiring a nurse escort and taking anywhere up to four hours.

With the new CT scanner at Shellharbour it now only takes approximately 15 minutes for patients to have a CT scan.

This is much more convenient for patients, but even more importantly it improves patient care, providing fast information needed by our doctors in making often complex diagnosis.

He said CT (computed tomography) scans, also called CAT scans, use special x-ray equipment to obtain image data from different angles around a patients body and then uses computer processing of the information to show a cross-section of body tissues and organs to assist diagnosis.

It is particularly useful because it can show several types of tissue, such as lung, bone, soft tissue and blood vessels with great clarity.

Through interpretation of CT scans of the body, radiologists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.

The CT scanner comes as part of a $2 million upgrade for medical imaging in the Illawarra, boosting capabilities at not only Shellharbour but also Wollongong and Shoalhaven hospitals.