Hospital
17 February 2009
Please join the Department of Health for:
What: Launch of the Symbia T SPECT/CT scanner, the first machine of its kind to
be installed at an academic hospital in South Africa
When: Wednesday, 18 February 2009, 17:00
Where: VIP Hall, Ground Level, Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein
The Universitas Academic Hospital is the only academic tertiary hospital
serving a population of close to five million people in the central part of
Southern Africa. It offers the full spectrum of tertiary and quaternary
services, including renal and bone marrow transplants, cochlear implants and
advanced cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. The hospital is attached to the
University of Free State (UFS) Faculty of Health Sciences and also serves the
Central University of Technology for practical training of health care
professionals.
The Siemens Symbia is a single photon (Gamma-ray) detecting camera system
integrated with a computed tomography (X-ray) system. (SPECT stands for Single
Photon Emission Computed Tomography). The scintigraphic quality is excellent
and can be further enhanced by attenuation correction when combined with CT
imaging. The latter also helping to localise pathology or lesions more
accurately. The versatility should be mentioned specifically.
The greatest advantage of this camera is the speed with which these
integrated studies can be performed! It is capable to study a wide variety of
disease in all the organ systems of the body amongst others the brain, heart,
lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, GIT, skeleton and aspects of the haematological
system.
It is thus clear that it will bring tremendous relieve to the existing
systems and increase service delivery significantly. This system is probably
the best practical modality in modern medicine to integrate anatomy and
physiology or then the pathology with pathophysiology. (The latter usually
preceding the first).
Due to the high quality products provided by Siemens, the nuclear medicine
department at the Universitas Academic Hospital Complex has been using Siemens
Gamma Cameras as early as 1969.
Contact:
Gela Van Heerden
Tel 051 408 1278
Fax: 051 408 1055
Cell: 082 381 9483
E-mail: vheerdenep@fshealth.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Health, Free State Provincial Government
17 February 2009
