Daniel Freire-Gonzalez, 44, from west London, this week became the first patient to benefit from a state-of-the-art SPECT-CT scanner at north London’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH).
Particularly effective in the fight against cancer, the £670,000 machine combines the best aspects of two different types of scanning – SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) and CT (computerised tomography) scanning. As well as being much more convenient for patients, it provides doctors with instant and much more accurate images for diagnosis, to help them plan complex treatments.
The scanner has been bought with funds raised by the RNOH Charity, which strengthens the vital work of the RNOH on an ongoing basis by providing extra services and facilities that are beyond the reach of the hospital’s NHS budget.
“At a time when so much routine diagnostic work and treatments have been deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic we are delighted to give RNOH patients and medical staff access to this incredible technology,” said RNOH Charity CEO, Rosie Stolarski. “Thanks to the generosity of a major donor and our other supporters, the hospital can now accelerate diagnosis and treatment where it is needed.”
Jennifer Gibson, Lead Radiographer, said: “Previously, patients would have had to go elsewhere for this imaging service. The SPECT-CT scanner allows us to fuse functional nuclear medicine images with detailed anatomical images and will provide a much more accurate diagnosis for our patients. We are tremendously grateful to the RNOH Charity and its patrons for their support.”
Later this month the RNOH Charity will launch a new fundraising drive with The Buttercup Collection, when a limited edition of 2,000 handmade porcelain buttercups will go on sale to raise money towards additional, much needed hospital equipment and services.
