New diagnostic camera improves services at VJH

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“Many of the people that will be scanned will be cancer patients,” continued Thorpe. “Newly diagnosed patients visit the Nuclear Medicine department early in their diagnosis to have a pre-surgical scan done to detect lymph nodes. Follow-up exams will then occur every 2-3 months throughout their treatment in the first year of their diagnosis. The nuclear medicine scans will help determine the spread of disease, the effectiveness of the treatment, and will monitor any side effects chemotherapy drugs may be having on the heart.”

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“Our team often forms strong bonds with these patients. We meet them in the initial stages of diagnosis and follow them throughout their treatment journey to recovery, cheering them on from the sidelines. We could not be more thrilled to have this new technology available to us.”

In conventional diagnostic imaging, an external source of energy such as x-rays, magnetic fields or ultrasound waves are used to produce primarily structural pictures. However, in nuclear medicine procedures, the energy source is introduced into the body in the form of a radioactive tracer. This tracer then accumulates in a specific tissue, organ or process and is then detected by a gamma camera to provide information on organ function and cellular activity.

“Legacy gifts often have great impact. A generous member of our community left a bequest in support of high priority needs in medical imaging. That generous gift enabled us to support minor renovations and the purchase of this critical diagnostic tool for our hospital” stated Kate McBrearty, VJH Foundation Executive Director.

The gamma camera was installed early last month and has been operational at VJH since March 17.