Nuclear medicine imaging is a specialised area of imaging that uses a radioactive tracer injected inside the body to visualise and monitor the function of various organs, bone and tissue to diagnose diseases and evaluate treatment.

The tracer collects in the part of the body being tested and sends out radiation, also known as gamma rays. These are picked up by a gamma camera, which then produces images to be assessed for abnormalities. Due to its precise nature, nuclear medicine imaging offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stage and before other imaging methods can, such as x-rays or an ultrasound.

Royal Brompton Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department is a centre of excellence and as a result, referrals have been growing from across the country. Due to the urgent need to replace two older gamma cameras with one new state of the art camera, the Charity is raising £500,000 to help purchase a model that will deliver exceptional quality 3D diagnostic scans faster for up to 5,500 adults and children, as young as a few months old, annually. This equipment will be the first of its kind in London and will not only improve patient outcomes, but it will also be used for research and training.

The Joyce and Norman Freed Charitable Trust kickstarted the fundraising campaign by making an extraordinary pledge of £200,000. After visiting Royal Brompton hospital and meeting with the Nuclear Medicine Team, Trustees Alison Goldberg and Sara Phillips said:

The Joyce and Norman Freed Charitable Trust is delighted to be partnering with Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, to purchase this state-of-the-art gamma camera - the Spectrum Dynamics Veriton-CT Solid State SPECT-CT. The new camera will enable the incredible team of experts to improve the diagnosis, treatment and ultimately the care of their patients. 

Dr Kshama Wechalekar, Lead Consultant in Nuclear Medicine said: “With this camera, patients will be the real winners getting the best of today’s care, but it will also establish their trust in cementing the position of RBH as an institution that drives the research and innovation to improve the care for tomorrow. The increased efficiency of this machine will allow us opportunities for growth and enable us to train new generations of trainees. The Nuclear Medicine Team is incredibly grateful for the generosity of Alison and Sara.”

You can donate to the Royal Brompton Gamma Camera appeal via the link below:

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