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Department of Radiology
St.Vincent’s Healthcare Group
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Accreditation
2003 saw the beginning of the Accreditation process that was
set to encompass St Vincent’s University Hospital,St Vincent’s
Private Hospital and St Michael’s Hospital in Dun Laoghaire.As
a platform service, the Radiology department became involved
with many of the established teams across the hospital and
began working hard collecting evidence of compliance and
ensuring that we were on target for the Accreditation
assessment in May 2004.
New Technology
Two new state of the art ultrasound machines were purchased
in 2003 and have proved very successful in providing high
quality diagnostic imaging for all four ultrasound rooms and the
interventional room.The purchase of a GE AMX4 mobile unit
has also proved to produce excellent images in portable
radiography as well as being user friendly to both radiographers
and ward staff.
Radiofrequency ablation was introduced for the treatment of
hepatic and other tumours.
Accident and Emergency
Close liaison between A&E and Radiology continued during the
year.Various audits were undertaken by the Clinical specialist
Radiographer (CSR) in A&E in order to target waiting times.
The audit is continually ongoing and aims to improve the quality
of the A&E service.
Staff Movement
Radiography
The following Radiographers joined us during 2003:
Jane Dolan,Shane Tynan,Emma D’Arcy,
Daphne Mason,Claire O’Donnell,
Joseph Nwodo, Dominic Gormley,
Angela O’Sullivan,Liam Chawke
The following radiographers left the Radiology Department in
2003:
Bernadette Munnelly, Raksha Budhu,
Joan Miller, Justine Collier, Alethea Baxter,
Sinead Howard,Edel Shortt,Lynette Idas,
Helen Hogan,Tanja Van der Walt,
Merlissa Plaatjes,Jeanette Waters,
Elizabeth Quigley, Candice Whitfield,
Shane Tynan
Those granted leave of absence included:
Mary Pat Corridan,Catherine Corr
Bernice, Dunne, Sarah Butler, Paula Cronin,
Jason Groarkec, Anne-Marie Hamilton,
Clinical Specialist in Ultrasound Joan Miller retired after many
years of dedicated work.Joan continues to be an integral
member of the department as an occasional locum sonogra p h e r.
Nursing
Congratulations to Anne Carson who completed a Breast Care
course in St Lukes Hospital,Rathgar.
S/N Vangie Tayao completed a Radiation Protection study day.
We welcomed the following new staff nurses who joined the
team in 2003:
S/N Alex Ong,S/N Vangie Tayao
We said goodbye and thank you to the nu rses who left in 2003:
S/N Kerrie Stoll,S/N Claire O’Neill
S/N Eithne Lavery, S/N Loida Macalinao
Clerical
Helen O’Reilly was successful in obtaining the position of Grade
VI Officer in March.
Samantha Alford was successful in obtaining the position of
Grade V Officer in April.
In August,Helen O’Reilly was invited to participate as a team
member of the Information Management Team of Accreditation.
Louisa Murphy was successful in obtaining the position of
Grade VI Officer – In-Patient Services in October.
Ancillary Staff
The Radiology Aides have continued to contribute significantly
in the day to day workflow of the Radiology Department.Their
structured rota ensures that an Aide is present to assist a
radiographer 24 hours a day and proves particularly
advantageous in assisting with manual handling tasks.
Outstanding Achievements
Administrative and Academic achievements by consultant
radiologists in 2003
Dr Stephen Skehan replaced Dr Risteard O Laoide as a coopted
member of the National Council of the Irish Hospital
Consultants Association.Dr Skehan also became a member of
the Executive Committee of the Irish Nuclear Medicine
Association.
Dr Dermot Malone was elected as Vice-Dean,Board member
and Chair of Scientific Committee, Faculty of Radiologists, RCSI.
He was also a Programme Committee member and Chairman
of an ad hoc subcommittee tasked with programme
development and horizon scanning activities for European
Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR).
He was a reviewer for ‘ R a d i o l o g y ’and the ‘ J o u rnal of the A m e ri c a n
College of Radiologists’and a moderator at scientific sessions of
the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and ESGAR.
Dr James Griffin finished his term as Chief Examiner for the final
fellowship examination of the Faculty of Radiologists,RCSI and
as Chairman of the South East Dublin Radiology Department.
He was replaced by Dr Robin Gibney in both roles.
Dr Conor Collins was elected to the Executive Committee of
the Medical Board in St Vincent's University Hospital and to full
membership of the International Cancer Imaging Society
Teaching Faculty.
Dr Risteard O Laoide was re-elected to the Board of the
Faculty of Radiologists,RCSI.
Specialist Registrar achievements
Dr Jonathan Dodd and Dr Sean Curran obtained the
Fellowship of the Faculty of Radiologists of the Royal College of
Surgeons in Ireland.Dr Lorna Browne and Dr Colm McMahon
were successful in the primary examination for the Fellowship.
Dr Marie Staunton left the Department having completed her
fifth year fellowship. A new fifth year training post in breast
radiology was created in 2003 and Dr Jean Doyle became the
inaugural holder of this post.Dr David O’Donnell and Dr
Fergus Byrne joined the Department as first year Specialist
Registrars.
Radiographer Achievements
Catherine Tierney achieved a Higher Diploma in Ultrasound
from UCD.
Claire O’Donnell presented her research on the Assessment of
radiation dose to staff during interventional cardiac procedures to
the Faculty of Radiologists at the Imaging Meeting 2003.
Selected Publications
Browne RF, Jeffers M, McDermott T, Grainger R,Mulvin D,
Gibney RG, et al. Technical report.Intra-operative ultrasound-guided
needle localization for impalpable testicular lesions. (Clin Radiol)
2003;58(7):566-9.
Maher MM,McNamara AM,MacEneaney PM,Sheehan SJ,
Malone DE. Abdominal aortic aneurysms:elective endovascular
repair versus conventional surgery evaluation with evidence-based
medicine techniques. Radiology 2003;228(3):647-58.
Staunton M,Malone DE. Ultrasonography or computed
tomography for diagnosis in hemodynamically stable patients with
recent blunt abdominal trauma? Critically appraised topic. (Can
Assoc Radiol J) 2003;54(5):279-80.
Fleming FJ,Hill AD, Kavanagh D, Quinn C, O'Doherty A,Collins
CD, et al. Intradermal radioisotope injection optimises sentinel
lymph node identification in breast cancer. (Eur J Surg Oncol)
2003;29(10):835-8.
Evaluation of the small intestine by nuclear medicine studies.
Skehan SJ,Mernagh JR and Nahmias C. pp131-156 in
Radiological imaging of the small intestine. Gourtsoyiannis (ed.).
Springer, Berlin 2002.
Conferences
Among the major conferences attended were:
• The Radiological Society of North America, Chicago.
• The United Kingdom Radiological Conference, Birmingham
• British Nuclear Medicine Society Annual Meeting,Manchester
• Radiological Society of North America,Chicago
• European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal
Radiology, Budapest
• European Congress of Radiology,Vienna
• Spring meeting,imaging meeting and annual scientific meeting
of the Faculty of Radiologists,RCSI
• Registrars’Prize meeting of the Royal Academy of Medicine
in Ireland
• ESGAR Workshop on CT colonography, Amsterdam
• British Nuclear Medicine Society Annual Meeting,Brighton
Several presentations were made at these and other meetings.
Invited Presentations
D. Malone,The 13th European Congress of Radiology (ECR
2003). Special Focus Session on "Evidence-Based Medicine" – The
Myths and the Facts. Invited speaker; "The Explorer."
Abstract published in European Radiology 2003;13 (Suppl.1):
76-77.
Drs Skehan, Collins and Malone were invited speakers at
the RCSI Charter Day 2003.
Dr Skehan, gave an invited presentation to the
Second National Cancer Forum on "PET
and cancer in Ireland".
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