New CT scanner injector pump provides more accurate vascular imaging
Photo of Labrador patient Isla, ready for her CT scan and attached to the injector pump, pictured in the foreground of the image.
The Rumba Foundation has kindly donated a CT injector pump to the University of Surrey’s Veterinary Cancer Research Programme, run from Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue in Guildford, Surrey.
About the CT injector pump
Nearly all patients who need a CT scan at our oncology and soft tissue hospital require some sort of intravenous contrast injection in order to highlight vascular structures, inflammation and neoplasia/cancer. The addition of the pressure injector now allows us to perform dynamic CT imaging. With this technique, the radiographer can remotely inject a bolus of contrast agent, and track the bolus to trigger the main CT scan to run when the contrast is in the desired area. This enables us to achieve precisely timed scans in various contrast phases, which can make all the difference in diagnosis and surgical planning.
Senior Clinician in Interventional Radiology, Gerard McLauchlan said:
The injector pump allows us to achieve much more accurate vascular imaging. This is incredibly important for the interventional radiology service. We are the only centre in Europe performing prostatic embolisation for dogs with prostate cancer – the injector pump allows accurate pre-procedural planning of the arterial supply to the cancer and helps ensure a successful outcome.
Manual injection of contrast (left) is slow, resulting in relatively poor distribution within the vessels. Using the pressure injector (right) the same dose of contrast is delivered to the vascular system quickly, improving the ability to highlight vital vessels and organs. The contrast bolus can be followed by the CT scan and flows through the vessels, ensuring the best quality image is obtained.
At Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue, we have an advanced Toshiba Aquilion 160 slice CT scanner, which benefits the patients with its rapid scan times, noise reduction and reduced GA doses required, allowing us to achieve high-quality diagnostic images for a wide range of patients and pathologies.
This donation of the injector pump supports Professor Nick Bacon’s work through the Veterinary Cancer Research Programme at the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine where Nick holds a joint position as Professor of Surgical Oncology. The veterinary school does not have its own animal hospital, and so the patients at our oncology hospital are able to benefit from the innovative research and treatment development that is at the core of the veterinary school’s One Health mission, Nick’s research and the Fitzpatrick ethos. Due to the generous gift from Rumba, the use of the injector pump, the benefit to the patient, the improved image quality, and the subsequent advancement of veterinary oncology are provided at no extra cost to the clients.
Fiona Hindle, one of the Rumba Foundation’s Founding Trustees said:
We’re delighted to have been able to finance the purchase of a piece of equipment that is taking diagnostic imaging to the next level. We have huge admiration for the ground-breaking work of Fitzpatrick Referrals and the University of Surrey’s Veterinary Cancer Research Programme, and this donation exactly aligns with our own objective to help advance the frontiers of animal treatment – in oncology and other veterinary disciplines.