Dr. Silver’s Note
Computed Tomography (CT) is integral to modern medical diagnosis and treatment. It provides detailed visualization of all parts of the body, guides surgery and image guided therapies, and is used to monitor patients as they recover. This is true whether a patient is experiencing gout, heart disease, cancer, or acute stroke. In every area of care at Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals, Medical Imaging revolutionizes patient care. It allows us to see what is inside our bodies — to diagnose disease of the internal organs, tissues, and blood vessels.
With your help, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation is funding a new CT scanner. As a radiologist, I can tell you it will have tremendous impact. Consider the difference in function and quality between a 10-year-old home computer and a new one. Now imagine that difference in an incredibly complex computer-driven machine that can help a surgeon locate and remove a lung tumour, or guide an interventional radiologist while extracting a blood clot from the brain. A new scanner offers better image quality, faster scans, and lower radiation exposure. The difference is amazing — it will change lives.
In the past a blood clot blocking an artery in the brain caused devastating and sometimes fatal tissue damage. CT can now quickly and accurately localize the obstructing clot and provide a road map for specialists who can remove the clot with a suction catheter. The outcomes in these cases are amazing — people who might be paralyzed or unable to speak can walk out of the hospital and return to their lives with little or no disability.
We also use CT to diagnose the cause of pain, organ dysfunction, shortness of breath, anemia, and innumerable other ailments. It is a fundamental tool for diagnosing cancer and following cancer patients after their treatment. In the case of a patient like Jill, it allowed her doctors to diagnose and remove a cancer before it spread beyond her lungs. Truly, CT is a critical component in providing acute care for Vancouver Island residents.
Please support this new CT scanner. At every stage in a patient’s care journey it will help us achieve better outcomes.
To contribute to The Big Picture campaign and to support the thousands of patients that need CT scans at our hospitals annually, donate here.
