Cardiac CT scanner to the University of Bergen

In 2011, the Foundation awarded the University of Bergen NOK 12 million to buy a cardiac computed tomography (CT) scanner. The gift was for use in connection with both research and patient treatment.

Head of the Department of Heart Disease Kjell Vikenes mentions the following when he sums up the first four years of operation of the cardiac CT scanner which is placed at Haukeland University Hospital:

• ‘It has been very beneficial to patients: An incredible number of CT scans have been conducted in just a few years: 11,000–12,000.
• Images are taken of 10 to 12 people every day – and women in particular benefit from this type of diagnosis.
• Sound expertise and methodology have been acquired on the use of cardiac CT scans.
• A number of clinical research projects that will benefit patient treatment have been initiated.
• The inclusion (already) of 8,000 patients in the national register (NORIC) provides a unique opportunity for research and quality improvement.
• Haukeland University Hospital has become one of the biggest cardiac CT centres in Europe and has the potential to lead the field in cardiac CT research.

The 2011 CT scanner was replaced in 2016 by a new CT scanner (a gift from Trond Mohn). The CT scanner from 2011 will be upgraded, and will then still be a state-of-the-art CT scanner which the Radiology Department will continue to use.

Senior Consultant Karel Kuiper: ‘If we suspect that a patient has heart disease, we can now refer them for a CT scan rather than a cardiac catherisation procedure. There is a certain risk of complications involved with cardiac catherisation. Using a CT scanner, on the other hand, carries virtually no risk.’