Date:20/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/20/stories/2008032057790200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Hospital gets new equipment

Special Correspondent

Chennai: Two new equipment that bring to the table advanced diagnostic and therapeutic skills in the malignant and non malignant tumours have been installed in Apollo Specialities Hospital.

The two machines, Image-Guided Radiation Therapy System and the 24 slice wide bore CT scanner, were inaugurated by Apollo Hospitals chairman Prathap Reddy on Wednesday.

While IGRT enables doctors to pinpoint tumours and target radiation to these areas alone leaving normal tissue undamaged, the new CT scanner, with its width, will bring relief to obese and claustrophic patients who have to undergo the procedure, Dr. Baghyam Raghavan, consultant, Apollo Hospitals, said.

The 24 Slice Wide Bore CT Scanner also has facilities for virtual endoscopy and bronchoscopy, helping the study of the bowel space and bronchial airway without subjecting patients to the discomfort and pain of conventional procedures, Dr. Baghyam added.

R. Raghavan, Executive vice-president, Siemens India Medical Solutions, said the two machines together cost over Rs.2 million.