Locations / Dublin - Ranelagh Medical

Global Diagnostics (Irl) provides Ranelagh Medical with ultrasound service for its patients and the people of Ranelagh.

The introduction of this service marks a revolution in the provision of essential diagnostic tests in the community. Where previously patients had to be referred to St. Vincent’s Hospital for an ultrasound test that may have had a long waiting list, or to a private radiology service elsewhere in Dublin, the same test can now be done in the GP practice in Ranelagh.

Ultrasound is a safe diagnostic tool which does not use x-rays but involves exposing parts of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. It is used to visualise muscles, tendons and internal organs, their size, structure and any abnormalities that may exist and to help the doctors in the practice to more easily diagnose the cause of pain, swelling and infection. Because the images are captured in real-time, they show the structure and movement of the bodys internal organs, as well as blood flowing through the blood vessels to identify any blockages or narrowing which could potentially cause strokes and other complications.

The service is currently available by appointment. The scans are carried out by a specially trained ultrasonographer using a portable ultrasound machine not much bigger than a laptop computer. The pictures are analysed and reported on by a consultant radiologist, and the final report is emailed to the practice in a matter of hours when previously the turnaround times could have been measured in weeks. The overall effect is a service that is conveniently delivered, with fast assessment and reporting that provides more information to the GP than has been the case in the past. As well as the written report, the radiologist also sends relevant images from the scan with arrows to indicate where the problem may be so that the GP is able to demonstrate the abnormality to the patient on the screen in the surgery.