The Lysholm Neuroradiology department is a purpose-built facility housing a state of the art computer-tomography (CT) scanner, a bi-plane and a single plane angiography suite, ultrasound (US) equipment and a digital plain film X-ray room. Furthermore we have an extensive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) service to include, two 1.5 tesla, two 3 tesla MRI scanners with one being used primarily for research, these include a short and wide-bore scanner for patients undergoing surgical procedures in the interventional MRI suite or for those who are claustrophobic.
The Lysholm department is led by our departmental director and head of service which the larger team composed of 24 Consultant Neuroradiologists, 49 radiographers, 6 clinical scientists and 11 clerical staff with supporting nursing staff. All members of the team help to provide a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services to referrers from the NHNN departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery.
The department provides imaging and treatment planning support to the Gamma Knife service (a precise form of radiation therapy), which commenced in 2012.
The externally reviewed and validated interventional neuroangiography service is a leader in introducing new interventional techniques, and supports the hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU) by providing a mechanical thrombectomy (clot retrieval) service. The department also supports HASU by providing advanced imaging for acute stroke including CT, CT angiography (CTA) and MR angiography (MRA), with immediate reporting that is pivotal for rapid stroke treatment.
The department has close academic links with the UCL Institute of Neurology (IoN) in which many staff hold honorary appointments. It is linked with the Neuroradiological Academic Unit, led by Professor Tarek Yousry, which is part of the UCL IoN Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, led by Professor David Werring. The Academic Unit develops advanced neuroimaging methods, particularly in the area of functional and physiological MRI, applying them in a number of research domains, such as neurodegeneration (including Alzheimer’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, as well as movement disorders), neuro-oncology (including diagnostic, prognostic and treatment planning for neurosurgery), neurovascular diseases (including acute stroke), muscle-wasting neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
The department is the largest Neuroradiology training centre in the UK and, through the UCL IoN Educational Unit offers an MSc in Advanced Neuroimaging.
The CT, MRI and Angiography services are used to diagnose the following conditions:
- Acute stroke
- CSF circulation impairment and hydrocephalus using CSF flow Phase-contrast MR technique
- Dementia, cognitive disorders and neuropsychiatry
- Epilepsy
- Headache
- Infections
- Intensive and critical care patients (Including imaging under general anaesthesia)
- Movement disorders
- Multiple sclerosis and demyelinating diseases
- Neurometabolic disorders
- Neuromuscular imaging, brachial and lumbar plexus and MR neurography
- Neuro-oncology
- Neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-otology and cranial nerves diseases
- Neurovascular diseases
- Spinal column and spinal cord disorders
- The interventional neuroradiology team use endovascular techniques to treat conditions such as, cerebral aneurysms, arterio-venous malformations and fistulae
- Spinal steroid injections are undertaken, in addition we provide a vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty service.
