St. Luke’s Radiology takes delivery of the first Planmed Verity™ Extremity Cone Beam CT Scanner in the UK

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Following the immense interest generated at UKRC 2012 - the largest diagnostic imaging event in the UK, held in June at Manchester Central Exhibition Centre - leading independent medical equipment supplier Xograph Healthcare have installed the first Planmed Verity mobile Extremity CT Scanner at St. Luke’s Hospital in Headington, Oxford.

St. Luke’s Radiology is an independent Radiology and Orthopaedic Medicine Practice with a Spine Intervention service and a Sports Medicine Service. It is also a substantial teaching practice running National and International Courses.
 
This state-of-the-art CBCT scanner is set to revolutionise extremity CT imaging, bringing 3D imaging into emergency departments, orthopaedic clinics, sports injury, and trauma centres for fast diagnoses at the point-of-care. The Verity’s ultra-high resolution capability allows it to display subtle extremity fractures, such as those of the Scaphoid, at the patient’s first visit and its CBCT technology, using a flat panel detector, enables the system to use a significantly lower radiation dose - just one tenth, when compared to extremity imaging with a conventional multi-detector CT (MDCT) scanner. The Verity’s motorised gantry rotation also allows weight-bearing imaging of low lower limb which is extremely useful when examining the knee and ankle.
 
Dr David Wilson, Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at St. Luke’s said, “It is a very impressive piece of equipment and having viewed it in clinical use at another European site I am excited about investigating the Verity’s potential for use in a UK trauma environment. Its versatility for imaging the upper and lower limbs in the seated, recumbent and standing position for weight-bearing examinations is something we have not experienced before. We are also going to undertake three small research projects using the scanner whilst it is at St Luke’s involving occult fractures in ankle trauma, standing ankles after elective orthopaedic surgery and wrist injuries”.
 
Paul Andrews, Commercial Manager at Xograph Healthcare said “I am so pleased that St. Luke’s have taken the first installation of the Verity Extremity Scanner in the UK. The versatility of this advanced mobile imaging platform allows it to be sited and set up in any RPA approved room as no extensive room preparation or external cooling systems are required.”

Dr David Wilson, Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at St. Luke’s Radiology with Simon Pike, Product Manager at Xograph Healthcare Ltd