The James Paget Interventional Radiology team have completed more than 2,000 procedures over the past three years – supporting hundreds of patients to get their diagnosis and treatment more quickly and closer to home, and helping them to recover faster.
Interventional Radiology (IR) is often referred to as ‘image guided surgery’ – with diagnostic imaging such as X-ray, CT or ultrasound scans, used to assist the team to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Since March 2021, when Consultant Radiologist Dr Vinod Shenoy joined the James Paget team, IR services have been developed, with the establishment of an Interventional Radiology Suite and procedures being scheduled across the week, rather than just half-a-day or one day per week as it had been previously.
At the James Paget imaging including fluoroscopy – effectively an X-ray movie – is used to guide procedures, enhancing the range of services available for local patients and saving many from having to travel to Norwich.
The team have now completed more than 2,000 procedures, including performing biopsies for a range of diseases to expedite diagnosis and treatment, non-vascular interventions including urology procedures such as unblocking kidneys (nephrostomy), draining fluid from abscesses and ascites.
Dr Shenoy said; “Behind the 2,000 figure there is a lot of hard work by the team. We carry out these simple procedures every day but by doing them here at the James Paget patients don’t have to travel to Norwich to have them and this has numerous benefits both for our patients and for both hospitals.
“Our services may be required by every department and our aim is to provide high quality care to our patients and to support our colleagues by providing a range of diagnostic tests and procedures, effectively and efficiently.
“Having Interventional Radiology services locally allows in-patients at our hospital to have their procedure on site, without having to be transferred. The biopsies we carry out can give a rapid diagnosis that means treatment can be started faster or that patients can be discharged with a treatment plan, and the small procedures we do for outpatients can make a big difference with faster recovery.
“We only refer to Norwich when we need to and this helps free up beds both at the Paget and at the Norfolk & Norwich, as well as enhancing the services and level of care we can provide at our hospital.”