Computer pioneer unveils £600,000 CT Scanner

From left, Dr Ramesh Raja (retired consultant radiologist), Geoff Tootill, chief executive John Saxby and chairman John Jesky.

The new £600,000 CT scanner at Rochdale Infirmary has been officially opened by a man whose pioneering work lies behind the machine’s computerised technology.

Geoff Tootill, who was part of the team which created the world’s first electronic, stored-programme computer, officially unveiled what is the most advanced scanner of its kind in the NHS in Greater Manchester.

A CT scanner takes X-rays of patients through different planes of the body and uses a computer to put them together.

Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the Infirmary, has invested heavily in the state-of-the-art, 64-slice CT scanner to replace the hospital’s single-slice machine, which was 11 years old. It went operational earlier in the year and is now bringing wide-ranging benefits to clinicians and patients.

Consultant radiologist Dr Paul Winarso, site leader for radiology at Rochdale Infirmary, said: “Clinicians always want the most up-to-date equipment to give patients the best service possible and this new scanner represents just that.

“Because it is a 64-slice machine, it produces very detailed pictures of organs or the inside of the body which help us reach a diagnosis about a wide variety of conditions. It also scans a much larger area of the body in a very short time.

“The images are computer generated and the speed of processing now means that we can get almost real-time 3D reconstructions that can be viewed from any angle at the click of a button.”

Mr Tootill said: "I am very impressed with this modern CT scanner, which incorporates a computer far more advanced than the one I was involved in creating in 1948. The computers of today have far greater speed and storage capacity than the 'Baby'."

Examples of the benefits to patients which the new machine brings include:

If a patient requires a CT scan, they have to hold their breath during the procedure to remain absolutely still. The time taken by the old machine meant that more seriously ill patients could struggle to do this. The new machine can do the same work in a single move, making it much more comfortable for patients.

It can provide dynamic, high-resolution images of organs in different phases of blood flow.

CT Colonography is increasingly being used instead of barium enemas – it is less intrusive for patients – and the new machine is fully capable of providing the diagnostic images for this.

Carrying out cardiac CT, which is a new technique increasingly being employed to assess multiple cardiac conditions, including calcium scoring, and coronary artery assessment.

John Saxby, chief executive of Pennine Acute Trust, said: “Our patients are benefiting greatly from this investment in state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, which supports the skills and expertise of our staff. The new machine also richly complements the high-tech MR scanner and the upgraded PACS X-ray system we have at Rochdale Infirmary.”