For the official opening of its newly integrated Radiology Department, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, part of the North Wales NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, invited the Welsh Health Minister, Edwina Hart, to help conduct the festivities. For the hospital, a point of celebration was also the newly acquired, cutting-edge imaging equipment. A ceiling-mounted Artis zee™ system, an ARCADIS^® Avantic mobile image intensifier and two AXIOM^® Aristos digital radiography (DR) solutions were installed. Due to the increasingly complex procedures performed by the hospital, these innovative imaging solutions serve to help meet the imaging complexities and improve workflow.

The ARCADIS Avantic mobile image intensifier with rotating anode X-ray tube was also installed for general operation room work, including urology, abdominal, and vascular procedures. The excellent maneuverability with an easily positioned, lightweight C-arm and good patient access means larger patients can be treated in a more convenient way.
The Artis zee interventional imaging system replaced a 14-year-old system and will be used for angiography and stenting procedures. Radiographers have already noticed a vast improvement in image quality, while the system emits lower radiation dose. The system also allows clinicians to take on complex cases using rotational angiography.

The two new DR rooms have each been fitted with an AXIOM Aristos imaging system, which enables high-quality images to be taken quickly. Advanced dose reduction technology, including automatic setting of appropriate radiation field size helps to minimize radiation dosage. Helen Hughes, Radiology Manager at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, is pleased with the installation and reports, “Thanks to the new systems, we can now carry out complex procedures confidently while lowering the amount of dose and improving patient flows. Throughput has improved to such an extent that our workflow has completely changed, shortening patients’ waiting times in the department. It is the ideal solution.”