Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine

Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine provides a range of services to help diagnose, monitor, and treat children suffering from disease or injury. These include:

• x-ray e.g. fluoroscopy, radiography, angiography
• bone mineral densitometry (BMD)
• ultrasound (US)
• computed tomography (CT)
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (including mock and intra-operative)
• inpatient and outpatient services including biopsies, joint injections and procedures such as sclerotherapy
• nuclear medicine (NM)
• OPG (dental x-ray)
• access to Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning (PET CT and PET MRI)
• bone mineral density (DXA and pQCT)
• Neonatal imaging.

Our services are available to all inpatients at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, as well as outpatients who have been referred.

A mock MRI service run by Occupational therapists is available to assess suitability and help acclimatise children aged 3 to 8 years to having a MRI who would usually need to have a general anaesthetic.

Who can access this service?

New patients

Referrals are accepted up to a child’s 16th birthday.

Existing patients with complex care needs

Referrals are accepted up to their 18th birthday (patients are usually transitioned to adult services by this time).

Catchment area

Specialist Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine services are available to children living in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Routine Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine services are also available to children living within the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital catchment area.

Do I need a referral?

You will need a formal referral to access this service.

How do I get a referral?

Referrals are accepted from:

• general practitioners
• paediatric specialists.

Other referral information

Appointments

Please call the relevant phone number listed below as soon as you receive a letter to confirm attendance or to rebook as soon as possible. If you receive a recorded message please leave the patient’s name, date of birth and hospital identification number, and the appointment will be confirmed by our Booking Officer.

MRI
t: 07 3068 3070

Interventional/CT scan
t: 07 3068 3066

Ultrasound
t: 07 3068 3073

General Anaesthetic
t: 07 3068 3070

Non-General-Anaesthetic Imaging

Once a booking is made patients will receive a letter of appointment and an information leaflet about what to expect. This letter will outline the appointment time, place and any preparation required. It will also request that you confirm the appointment seven days prior by calling the specified number.

This letter will outline the arrival time, place and any preparation required. It will also request that you confirm the appointment seven days prior by calling the specified number.

General Anaesthetic Imaging

Once a booking is made patients will receive a letter of appointment and an information leaflet about what to expect. This letter will outline the arrival time, place and any preparation required. One week before the appointment a nurse will ring to confirm arrival and fasting times.

An SMS reminder is sent the day before all pre-booked appointments except GA MRI’s.

Information for health professionals

Referral instructions

Referrals can be made directly to the Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine clinic.

General referrals

Inpatients please submit Imaging request vie ieMR order entry.

Outpatient please fax Imaging request form to 07 3068 3019 and ask the patient to make the appointment by calling the relevant phone number below.

MRI
t: 07 3068 3070

Interventional/CT scan
t: 07 3068 3066

Ultrasound
t: 07 3068 3073

General Anaesthetic
t: 07 3068 3070

Urgent referrals

During Business hours please contact the duty registrar via switch (07 3038 1111).

After-hours

Please contact the on-call service via the hospital switchboard.
t: 07 3068 1111

Scans are booked for the next available appointment unless urgent and direct contact is made with the radiologist. It may be a number of weeks before the next available appointment, particularly for MRI scans that require general anaesthesia.

Imaging that must be conducted within particular time intervals must have a date/time frame specified on the imaging request, or the appointment will be in the “next available” slot. If the request then becomes more urgent please contact the department.

Useful links

CT Scan patient information 
MRI Scan patient information 
Radiation and Medical Imaging patient information 
Ultrasound scan patient information