Safer Neuroradiology Interventions and Better Patient Experience in Portugal
Canon Medical installed the Alphenix 4D CT, the Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def, three high end Aplio i-series ultrasound systems and the Vantage Galan 3T / XGO at Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Users told VISIONS how the equipment has helped them to improve interventional neuroradiology procedures and musculoskeletal examinations, despite the challenging context.
VISIONS spoke with Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Portugal, about their experiences with Canon Medical's Interventional Radiology, MRI and ultrasound equipment.
VISIONS spoke with Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Portugal, about their experiences with Canon Medical's Interventional Radiology, MRI and ultrasound equipment.
Pedro Vilela, Coordinator for Neuroradiology, Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
The private healthcare sector is growing exponentially in the west of the Iberian Peninsula. Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon is one of the main facilities of Luz Saúde, Portugal’s largest private healthcare provider. The radiology department faces increased demand in imaging studies, according to Pedro Vilela, Coordinator for Neuroradiology at Hospital Da Luz.
'Our MR and CT services run 24/7, so we need faster and better imaging equipment,’ he said. ‘We use a lot of teleradiology to provide real time answers to the other units. We need equipment and post processing modalities to have very good integration with teleradiology systems to coordinate patient care in real time.’
Pressure comes from both inside and outside the hospital, Ana Filipa Graça, Medical Imaging Business Manager at Luz Saúde, pointed out. ‘The imaging department needs to keep up with the demand and our colleagues also need to answer demands from external doctors, who trust our company to do the exams for their patients,’ she said. We also have the challenge of always maintaining quality as our major goal in everything we do.’
'Our MR and CT services run 24/7, so we need faster and better imaging equipment,’ he said. ‘We use a lot of teleradiology to provide real time answers to the other units. We need equipment and post processing modalities to have very good integration with teleradiology systems to coordinate patient care in real time.’
Pressure comes from both inside and outside the hospital, Ana Filipa Graça, Medical Imaging Business Manager at Luz Saúde, pointed out. ‘The imaging department needs to keep up with the demand and our colleagues also need to answer demands from external doctors, who trust our company to do the exams for their patients,’ she said. We also have the challenge of always maintaining quality as our major goal in everything we do.’
Pedro Vilela, Coordinator for Neuroradiology, Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
To cope with those expectations, the team has recently chosen Canon Medical’s Alphenix 4D CT and Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def systems to carry out interventional procedures, the Vantage Galan 3T / XGO to perform musculoskeletal examinations, and three high end Aplio i-series systems for ultrasound scanning.
Pedro Vilela is an interventional and diagnostic Neuroradiologist, and the Coordinator for Neuroradiology at Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon.
Considerable improvement in neuroradiology interventions
The Alphenix 4D CT, which combines CT imaging with a ceiling-mounted angiography system, has tremendously expedited workflow, Dr. Vilela explained.
‘The equipment was a major breakthrough for percutaneous procedures, because we could combine the best of two systems: the CT imaging, which allows you to see the tissue and guide spine interventions or biopsies, and the Angiography system, which allows you to work much faster and better place the needles during your intervention,’ he said.
Having both systems in the same room has tremendously improved safety, he added.
‘Our interventions are safer because we combine two information sources to better guide the devices inside the patient. CT enables us to work faster than just with the x-ray that the angiography system provides, so we can also reduce radiation dose.’
‘The equipment was a major breakthrough for percutaneous procedures, because we could combine the best of two systems: the CT imaging, which allows you to see the tissue and guide spine interventions or biopsies, and the Angiography system, which allows you to work much faster and better place the needles during your intervention,’ he said.
Having both systems in the same room has tremendously improved safety, he added.
‘Our interventions are safer because we combine two information sources to better guide the devices inside the patient. CT enables us to work faster than just with the x-ray that the angiography system provides, so we can also reduce radiation dose.’
Pedro Vilela is an interventional and diagnostic Neuroradiologist, and the Coordinator for Neuroradiology at Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon.
“Our interventions are safer because we combine two information sources to better guide the devices inside the patient. CT enables us to work faster than just with the x-ray that the C-arm provides, so we can also reduce radiation dose.”
Pedro Vilela, Coordinator for Neuroradiology, Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Working with Canon Medical’s Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def has made all the difference in endovascular neuroradiology procedures, Dr. Vilela also explained.
‘Biplane angiography is recommended in neuroradiology units because you have two working positions that are pretty useful for example when coiling an aneurysm,’ he said. ‘You can see the aneurysm from two different angels, so if something goes wrong, you can better see the neck of the aneurysm, the position of the micro catheter and the progression of the coil.’
High definition resolution is crucial for almost every neuroradiology intervention, including vessel stenting, closing and embolization to treat stroke, ruptured aneurysms or vascular malformations.
‘We’re talking about two or three millimeter-wide vessels,’ he said. ‘You need very good image quality so you know you are in the correct place to implant the devices accurately. Canon’s system provides such excellent quality.’
‘Biplane angiography is recommended in neuroradiology units because you have two working positions that are pretty useful for example when coiling an aneurysm,’ he said. ‘You can see the aneurysm from two different angels, so if something goes wrong, you can better see the neck of the aneurysm, the position of the micro catheter and the progression of the coil.’
High definition resolution is crucial for almost every neuroradiology intervention, including vessel stenting, closing and embolization to treat stroke, ruptured aneurysms or vascular malformations.
‘We’re talking about two or three millimeter-wide vessels,’ he said. ‘You need very good image quality so you know you are in the correct place to implant the devices accurately. Canon’s system provides such excellent quality.’
Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def
Working with the Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def also enables further dose reduction with the Dose Tracking System and other dose management tools, making the examinations safer not just for patients, but also the staff, he noted.
‘You don’t need maximum resolution, which usually requires a dose increase (similar to normal magnification steps), during the whole procedure,’ he said. ‘For the most part, you can go into lower doses, so you’re protecting yourself, your staff and your patient. And when you need a higher resolution image to find something specific, you can go into a higher resolution program with a slightly higher dose that you can track, to know what’s happening.’
Using the combined CT scanner and angiography system on the Alphenix 4D CT has proven intuitive and the equipment’s mechanical flexibility has considerably facilitated procedures. ‘It’s very easy to move the table, turn and rotate the arm to get the position, acquiring a 3D image, activate your roadmap fluoroscopy, or obtain a projection image,’ Dr. Vilela said.
‘You don’t need maximum resolution, which usually requires a dose increase (similar to normal magnification steps), during the whole procedure,’ he said. ‘For the most part, you can go into lower doses, so you’re protecting yourself, your staff and your patient. And when you need a higher resolution image to find something specific, you can go into a higher resolution program with a slightly higher dose that you can track, to know what’s happening.’
Using the combined CT scanner and angiography system on the Alphenix 4D CT has proven intuitive and the equipment’s mechanical flexibility has considerably facilitated procedures. ‘It’s very easy to move the table, turn and rotate the arm to get the position, acquiring a 3D image, activate your roadmap fluoroscopy, or obtain a projection image,’ Dr. Vilela said.
A complete process of patient journey with the Vantage Galan 3T / XGO
The systems’ installation started in 2019 during a major revamp of Hospital Da Luz. Shortly after, the pandemic broke out in Portugal.
‘We needed to keep everything running and develop new pathways for the COVID-19 patients, and also for the projects to keep their milestones,’ Graça recalled. ‘Regarding the 4D CT system, we faced a big challenge because it was the first installation of this kind for us both, Luz Saúde, and also for the Portuguese Canon team.’
‘Because of the pandemic, we had to postpone the launch of the interventional radiology procedures and transform the room into the COVID-19 patients CT room, to tend to the patients that came from the emergency department with a COVID-19 suspicion,’ Gonçalo Leal, Head of Medical Imaging of Luz Saúde, echoed.
The Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def room was installed later in the OR, using two types of access: one for ambulatory patients, the other for patients from the OR. ‘This type of pathway is an innovation,’ he said. ‘All the while, we kept our other ORs running.’
In spite of the difficulties, the team managed to get a full grip of the systems, owing to the excellent cooperation with Canon Medical.
‘We’ve been working closely with Canon Medical since 2015, when we renovated our Setúbal Imaging Center,’ he said. ‘It’s been a very interesting journey, and we’ve explored new partnerships and solutions for each site.’
‘We needed to keep everything running and develop new pathways for the COVID-19 patients, and also for the projects to keep their milestones,’ Graça recalled. ‘Regarding the 4D CT system, we faced a big challenge because it was the first installation of this kind for us both, Luz Saúde, and also for the Portuguese Canon team.’
‘Because of the pandemic, we had to postpone the launch of the interventional radiology procedures and transform the room into the COVID-19 patients CT room, to tend to the patients that came from the emergency department with a COVID-19 suspicion,’ Gonçalo Leal, Head of Medical Imaging of Luz Saúde, echoed.
The Alphenix Biplane Hi-Def room was installed later in the OR, using two types of access: one for ambulatory patients, the other for patients from the OR. ‘This type of pathway is an innovation,’ he said. ‘All the while, we kept our other ORs running.’
In spite of the difficulties, the team managed to get a full grip of the systems, owing to the excellent cooperation with Canon Medical.
‘We’ve been working closely with Canon Medical since 2015, when we renovated our Setúbal Imaging Center,’ he said. ‘It’s been a very interesting journey, and we’ve explored new partnerships and solutions for each site.’
“We’ve been working closely with Canon Medical since 2015, when we renovated our Setúbal Imaging Center. It’s been a very interesting journey, and we’ve explored new partnerships and solutions for each site.”
Gonçalo Leal, Head of Medical Imaging of Luz Saúde, Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Mr. Gonçalo Leal, a trained biomedical engineer, is Head of Medical Imaging of Luz Saúde, responsible for the strategy, business operations, processes, medtech and medical imaging digital transformation sponsorship in Luz Saúde’s 26 facilities across Portugal.
With Canon Medical’s Vantage Galan 3T / XGO, Hospital Da Luz can now offer an upgraded patient experience in MRI, in a humanized examination room, Ana Filipa Graça believes.
‘The patient can choose an environment, a song or a movie during the examination, so it can become an easier experience for pediatric and anxious patients. This kind of solution is quite new in Portugal and, unfortunately, it’s never a priority when we install a new room, because we’re always thinking about image quality, equipment performance and technical requirements. So we have the chance to work with Canon Medical in a complete process of patient journey, and we think we’re getting better patient collaboration, which of course offers better image quality and diagnosis in the end,’ she concluded. //
‘The patient can choose an environment, a song or a movie during the examination, so it can become an easier experience for pediatric and anxious patients. This kind of solution is quite new in Portugal and, unfortunately, it’s never a priority when we install a new room, because we’re always thinking about image quality, equipment performance and technical requirements. So we have the chance to work with Canon Medical in a complete process of patient journey, and we think we’re getting better patient collaboration, which of course offers better image quality and diagnosis in the end,’ she concluded. //
Canon Medical's Vantage Galan 3T / XGO
“With Canon Medical and the Vantage Galan 3T / XGO, Hospital Da Luz can now offer an upgraded patient experience in MRI, in a humanized examination room.”
Ana Filipa Graça, Medical Imaging Business Manager, Hospital Da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Ana Filipa Graça is Medical Imaging Business Manager, responsible for new product(s) design, procurement, quality assurance and digital transformation sponsor in Medical Imaging for Luz Saúde.
Lisboa is the flagship hospital of Luz Saúde, Portugal’s largest private healthcare provider, which operates twelve hospitals and forteen clinics, providing diagnostic and treatment services across the country.
Due to medical device regulatory reasons, not all products/service displayed on this Canon Medical Systems global webpage are available in all countries, regions or markets. Future availability of the products/service cannot also be guaranteed. Please contact your local Canon Medical Systems representative for further details.
