Patients to benefit from new radiology suite at Wrexham Maelor Hospital

A new Interventional Radiology suite has been installed at Wrexham Maelor Hospital which will help reduce the number of scans that patients need before a procedure.

The new suite in the Radiology Department has involved remodelling of the area and the installation of a new Siemens Artis Q C-arm, a state-of-the-art x-ray machine which delivers improved levels of image quality with a reduced radiation dose.

New software included with the system will also reduce the need for patients to undergo additional CT or MRI imaging prior to an operation, as previous scans can be imported into the new system and used to guide the Interventional Radiologists during procedures.

Vicky Jackson, Interventional Radiology Service Lead at the hospital said: “The new equipment will benefit patients across sub-specialities delivering vascular angioplasty locally, a procedure to restore blood flow to the arteries, supporting the orthopaedic service with pain relieving joint injections, providing cardiac pacemaker insertions and a full spectrum of acute intervention services for urology and gastro patients. “

Replacement programme

The new Artis C-arm is part of a multi-million-pound equipment replacement programme, funded by Welsh Government, that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is carrying out within the radiology service across North Wales, which includes X-ray rooms, scanners and ultrasound machines.

The hospital has also recently installed a new modular MRI scanner outside the Radiology Department.

The scanner will be on site for six months and will help provide MRI capacity whilst the existing scanner is upgraded, and will increase scanning capacity to reduce waiting lists and speed up diagnosis and treatment.

Earlier this year the radiology department also received a new state-of-the-art gamma camera, an imaging device which scans parts of the body, including most major organs such as the brain, lungs and bones.

The camera, which replaced an old imaging device, has faster scan times, clearer images, and a lower radiation dose, which will overall help speed-up patient diagnosis.