A NEW CT scanner at Basingstoke hospital is set to slash waiting times by doubling the number of patients who can be scanned.
The hi-tech boost – there are now two scanners at the hospital – will speed up diagnosis of serious diseases like cancer or bone disease.
Consultant radiologist Dr Hilary O’Neill said: “This is excellent news for our patients.
“The new technology will support our rising number of patients requiring high-quality diagnostic care and capacity to ensure prompt access.”
Last year, nearly 10,000 patients required CT scans at Basingstoke hospital.
The new state-of-the-art scanner allows computerised tomography (CT) to build up a 3D picture of the inside of the body.
An X-ray tube inside the machine produces a fan-shaped beam of X-rays, which rotates around your body as you lie flat, creating individual pictures.
This will benefit patients from general surgery and gastrology requiring scans and it is an essential diagnostic tool for liver, colorectal and pseudomyxoma cancer, which the hospital specialises in treating. Cardiac or stroke patients will also benefit.
The scanner is part of a £1.9million cash injection that also includes new ultrasound equipment and a replacement fluoroscopy room.
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