CAMC recently installed a state-of-the-art multi-modality imaging suite at Memorial Hospital.
The interventional radiology suite provides an integrated environment with computed tomography (CT), ultrasound and fluoroscopy. With uninterrupted access to these imaging modalities, the right treatment decisions are made in real time and in only one suite.
Traditionally, during standard procedures, the patient must be moved between the angiography room and the CT room, which complicates the workflow. With this integrated suite, all treatment stages – from planning to treatment and follow-up – occur in a single suite, with no need to move the patient.
“Combining CT with fluoroscopy allows for procedures that are not possible in other suites, including combined embolization/ablation procedures to treat cancer and complex drainage procedures,” said Amy Deipolyi, MD, PhD, FSIR, Director of Interventional Radiology. “We can now offer high level procedures that otherwise patients would not have access to or must travel out-of-state for.”
The first patients were treated in this state-of-the-art image-guided procedure suite Tuesday, Sept. 5. Only 28 such suites are in use in the United States. This is the first in West Virginia.
The combination of CT and fluoroscopy provides unique opportunities to perform complex procedures in less invasive ways and allows for definitive procedures to be performed in one setting, rather than having to stage procedures with multiple visits.
All types of patients may benefit from the new equipment. Patients with cancer and portal high blood pressure are most common, along with with pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, patients with biliary obstruction, and patients needing decompression of biliary and urologic obstructions.
