Story Posted: 2015-09-15
Advancing Molecular Imaging at St. Paul's Hospital
Saskatoon (Tuesday, September 15, 2015).
The prevention and treatment of kidney disease for Saskatchewan residents was strengthened today as PotashCorp announced a $500,000 donation to support the
St. Pauls Hospital Chronic Kidney Disease Outreach Program, and to help fund the Hospital Foundations purchase of a SPECT-CT, the most advanced molecular imaging equipment available in Canada today.
We are so thankful to PotashCorp for the leadership and commitment they have shown in advancing molecular imaging in our region and province, said John Agioritis,
SPH Foundation Board Chair. The new SPECT-CT will advance diagnosis and treatment options for various forms of cancer and for complications stemming from diabetes. This gift also strengthens the Hospitals Chronic Kidney Disease Outreach Program which brings nurses and coordinators to northern communities to screen individuals for signs of kidney disease and provide education about disease prevention and management.
At PotashCorp, we believe it is important to enhance the well-being of our communities and this investment achieves that, said Wayne Brownlee, PotashCorp Chief Financial Officer. We are pleased to support the essential work of the outreach program and the acquisition of new diagnostic technology. Both will make a meaningful difference to patients and their families.
The SPECT-CT combines two forms of imaging, a gamma camera that provides physiologic information related to function, and CT technology that provides anatomic detail related to structure.
This combination of technology results in superior physiologic and anatomic images of the body which, when combined, provides much more sensitive and specific information. This allows for earlier and more accurate diagnoses for multiple scenarios such as cancer staging or determining the extent of infection, said Dr. Sundeep Nijjar, Division Head of Nuclear Medicine. Earlier and more accurate diagnoses help physicians choose the best treatments for patients, and also allow physicians to closely monitor treatments once initiated. This equipment will help us provide our best care to many people in our city and our province.
PotashCorp has been supporting advanced imaging in Saskatchewan for decades. In 1990, the corporation matched $1.5 million in community donations to bring the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment to Saskatchewan. In 2013, PotashCorp supported the purchase of PET-CT technology, leading to the creation of the PotashCorp Molecular Imaging Centre at Royal University Hospital. The corporation continued to support development in this area by working with the community to attract the industrys top specialists as well as provide the most advanced technologies, like the SPECT-CT at St. Pauls Hospital.