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To support its work in diagnosis and treatment, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge has recently installed MR and CT equipment from Siemens into a new purpose built diagnostic center.

Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge is the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant center. To support its work in leading diagnosis and treatment, the hospital has recently installed MR and CT equipment from Siemens into a new purpose built Diagnostic Centre. The SOMATOM Definition Dual Source CT and MAGNETOM Avanto MR are now working back-to-back at the hospital.

Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge is the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant center. To support its work in leading diagnosis and treatment, the hospital has recently installed MR and CT equipment from Siemens into a new purpose built diagnostic center. The SOMATOM Definition Dual Source CT and MAGNETOM Avanto MR are now working back-to-back at the hospital.

The imaging technologies will work as part of the new Papworth Direct service. This service was launched in January 2008 to provide quicker access and shorter pathways for patients and provide better value for money through its state of the art diagnostic services. GPs and hospital clinicians can now quickly refer patients who have a high suspicion of coronary heart disease or specific respiratory conditions to the facilities at the cardiothoracic diagnostic center.

"The current 18 week government waiting list target means that we need to constantly progress our service here in order to maximize patient throughput, whilst ensuring that patients receive a first class service," said Richard Rowlands, Radiology Manager at Papworth Hospital. "Conventional imaging cath labs are often under pressure to perform at maximum capacity so we were looking for equipment that would alleviate that demand. The MR and CT technology from Siemens is a great advantage and has enabled us to streamline and modernize our service."

"A number of our regular patients come to Papworth for follow-up MRI examinations and have really welcomed the difference in the imaging process in comparison to the mobile MRI unit we used previously," said Richard Greenwood, Lead Radiographer MRI at Papworth Hospital. "The CT and MR equipment benefit from a shared control room improving cross-training and efficiency. This is a great advantage to the facility as sometimes patients will need to undergo a functional MR scan and then go on to have a cardiac CT scan. The location of the scanners and control room mean we can provide a complementary service that speeds up the diagnostic process."

Leigh Clements, Lead Radiographer CT adds, "With the installation of the SOMATOM Definition Dual Source we have benefited from being able to perform cardiac CT without the need for beta blockers."

The MAGNETOM Avanto 1.5 T MRI provides high quality images whilst ensuring the optimum patient comfort. Its open design is particularly useful for the imaging of claustrophobic or obese patients, with a low-to-the-floor, accessible table position. MR is the ideal tool to assess CV disease accurately due to its excellent image quality and capability to quantify function, show damaged tissue (infarcts) and plaque composition of the vessel wall in a high spatial resolution. Only Tim (Total Imaging Matrix) technology provides the full picture of CV disease through a combination of cardiac and vascular exams in one setting, meaning a comprehensive cardiac exam can be finished swiftly.

The system utilizes 32 channel coils and enables an 'Intelligent Coil Control' feature which detects and selects the appropriate coil elements. This ensures that examinations can be performed with a single click and eliminates the need for coil repositioning, speeding up the MRI examination process, whilst ensuring that the patient is screened in the most effective way.

The SOMATOM Definition Dual Source CT combines the power of two X-ray sources and two detectors to simultaneously collect a data set of 90 degrees each during one heartbeat. Its advanced imaging technology means that the system can image even irregular heartbeats without beta blockers, keeping patient preparation, examination and diagnosis times at a minimum. Dual Source imaging eliminates the need to scan every heart position multiple times, which automatically reduces patient dose. Adaptive ECG-controlled dose modulation technology also ensures that dose is at a minimum.

"Papworth Hospital is a pioneering site for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions," said Graham Walker, Regional Sales Manager at Siemens Healthcare. "The dual services of a MAGNETOM Avanto and SOMATOM Definition Dual Source assist in improving patient throughput by providing high quality images at a reduced examination time."