“Beautiful” and “beyond what you could imagine” are words being used to describe 3D imaging from a new nuclear medicine scanner at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. The StarGuide SPECT/CT scanner by GE HealthCare is a first for the country, and Nova Scotia Health says it will improve patient outcomes in Atlantic Canada. “It’s the first install in Canada of this exciting new technology.
It’s state of the art in nuclear medicine,” explained Dr. Steven Burrell, head of nuclear medicine at the QEII. “What nuclear medicine is a lot of folks don’t know.
It’s a form of imaging where we inject what we call tracers — radiopharmaceuticals — into people and image where that went.” View image in full screen The $6-million project to buy two scanners is being funded equally by QEII Foundation donors and Nova Scotia Health. Zack Power/Global News Burrell adds the method is a key way to detect cancer and to show where cancer has spread in the body.
Story continues below advertisement “It’s (also) a key way to detect certain types of heart disease and a wide variety of other medical conditions,” he said. The hospital held a show and tell of the new scanner Monday at the Halifax Infirmary site. It’s hoped the new technology will enhance efficiency and address wait lists and wait times for patients who need these types of scans.
The latest health and medical news emailed to you every Sunday. Right now, about 4,000 patients undergo nuclear medicine .