Benenden Hospital, a private healthcare provider in Kent, has launched the first liver ultrasound screening service in South East England that could radically change NHS waiting times for scans
According to the team, the new service aims to facilitate patient routes and accelerate medical interventions, reducing waiting times by up to five months.
First-ever live ultrasound
This innovative approach combines liver and abdominal ultrasound, providing quicker access. The liver ultrasound screening service at Benenden Hospital uses the ACUSON Sequoia Crown systems from Siemens Healthineers.
These state-of-the-art systems support accurate assessment of liver stiffness and fat quantification using Ultrasound-derived Derived Fat Fraction (UDFF). They also enable detailed visualisation of liver tissue for signs of disease and the wider abdominal area in a single appointment.
Reducing pressure on the NHS
Previously, gastroenterology consultants at Benenden Hospital had to refer patients with abnormal liver blood tests to local NHS hospitals for scans.
This process often involved long waiting times and multiple appointments. With the introduction of the new ACUSON Sequoia systems, patients can now be scanned on-site at Benenden Hospital, significantly reducing the reliance on high-demand NHS resources and shortening the journey to intervention.
The service is in line with NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) guidelines, which recommend liver ultrasound as one of the most effective techniques for early detection and assessment of liver disease. By following these guidelines, Benenden Hospital ensures that patients receive accurate and quick diagnoses, leading to better health outcomes.
Improving imaging quality
The ACUSON Sequoia systems improve liver screening and support a variety of other ultrasound applications at Benenden Hospital. These include musculoskeletal, gynaecological, vascular, abdominal, and small-parts imaging.
The versatility of these systems is further improved by the use of the DAX deep abdominal transducer, which improves imaging quality for patients who are traditionally difficult to scan.
Ali Turner, Director of Clinical Services at Benenden Hospital, highlighted the transformative impact of this new technology in their press release: “Our recent adoption of image-led liver scanning, aided by our ACUSON Sequoia Crown ultrasound systems from Siemens Healthineers, has transformed our approach. Accuracy is paramount when using the transducer to visualise the liver for optimum placement of data collection boxes.”
Mike Arbaugh, Head of Ultrasound for Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland, expressed his enthusiasm for the project: “It is great to see the ACUSON Sequoia in its element, serving high image quality across a range of applications and enabling excellence in patient care.”
