|
 HOME Full Body Scan Helps Save Lives 25th Anniversary of St. Joseph Health System Community Benefit Childhood Obesity St. Mary Wins ER Award Foundation Grants Help Local Families Ingredient Substitutions |
Full Body Scan Helps Save Lives Rob Turner, past Chairman
of the St. Mary Medical
Center Board of Trustees,
credits the life-saving
technology of the
Aquilion 64-slice CT
scanner at St. Mary for
locating a cancerous
mass on his right kidney
and saving his life.
Rob Turner, past Chairman of the St. Mary Medical
Center Board of Trustees, calls the full body scan
that identified a cancerous tumor on his kidney a
serendipitous circumstance.Turner volunteered for the full body scan by St. Mary Medical Center's new 64-slice CT scanner in order to help the radiology technicians train on the new technology. St. Mary acquired the $1.6 million scanner in 2007. The AquilionTM 64 from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. can take high-resolution images of the entire body in about 10 seconds. St. Mary is the only hospital in the High Desert to have this latest and most advanced computed tomography (CT) technology. A Surprise Diagnosis As Turner prepared to leave following the scan, radiology staff asked him to wait to speak with a doctor regarding the images the scan produced. The doctor informed Turner that a mass was identified on his right kidney and asked him to return for another scan using dye later in the week. The second scan confirmed the findings of a mass on the kidney, and Turner's physician recommended immediate surgery to remove it. During the surgery, a biopsy was conducted of the mass and determined it was malignant. "It was in the middle of the kidney, and they took the whole thing," Turner says. The cancer hadn't spread outside of the kidney, so no further treatment, such as radiation or chemotherapy, was necessary. Turner is feeling great. Turner said he is very aware of the seriousness of cancer and the importance of early detection and screenings. In a three-year period, he lost his mother, brother and sister all to cancer. "I recommend everybody get the scan," he says. "It was a miracle of some kind." The Best in Technology and Care Turner isn't the only one to benefit from the Radiology Department's training on the new CT scanner. Tom O'Donnell, Director of Security for St. Mary, also volunteered for a body scan. The initial scan recommended further testing of his heart. One of the 64-slice CT scanner's most exciting advancements is its ability to take images of the heart. The additional clarity and speed provided by the 64 slices can catch a clear image of the heart in between beats. Further testing ultimately concluded that O'Donnell's arteries are clean as a whistle, and he is thankful for the peace of mind such a simple, non-invasive scan provided. "We have wonderful technology here," he says. "This is going to help save lives."
|
|
| Living Well is published quarterly. Its information is intended to educate readers about subjects pertinent to their health. This information should not be considered medical advice or treatment, nor should it be used as a substitute for a physician consultation. © 2008 St. Mary Medical Center. | ||
 |
|
|