Saint Thomas Hospital opened the area's first GE Innova Neuro-Vascular Imaging Suite on August 15, 2007.
Using a $1.1 million versatile digital imaging system, physicians at Saint Thomas Hospital are now able to perform neurosurgical exams on patients with a single system. The GE Innova® 3100 all digital neuro-vascular and interventional imaging system is helping Saint Thomas Hospital neurosurgeons to clearly see the blood vessels throughout the entire body - even the smallest, finest vessels all the way to the fingertips.
The images produced by GE's Innova 3100 are so detailed that Saint Thomas Hospital neurosurgeons are able to see clearly enough to safely maneuver the smallest medical devices - such as catheters, stents, coils and guidewires - during balloon angioplasties, cerebral aneurysm coiling and arterial venous malformation embolizations.
In addition, GE's Innova 3100 opens up new opportunities for Saint Thomas Hospital to provide a wide range of image-guided, minimally invasive treatment options that offer patients advantages over traditional surgery. The Innova allows for CT reconstruction procedures to be performed without having to move the patient to the CT Suite.
"The remarkable utility of GE's Innova 3100 allows our surgeons to diagnose and treat neuro-vascular patients who have a wide range of conditions, all on one system," said Les Donahue, President and CEO, Saint Thomas Hospital. "Many patients coming to Saint Thomas Hospital have both neurological and vascular conditions, which we can now more accurately and efficiently diagnose - and in some cases even treat - during a single procedure. This eliminates the stress and inconvenience of having to undergo multiple procedures."
Dr. Scott Standard serves on the medical advisory committee for the Neuro-Vascular Imaging Suite. "These minimally invasive procedures reduce risk, lessen pain and stress, and shorten recovery times," said Dr. Scott Standard.