“The demand for orthovoltage therapy today exceeds the supply,” so think the radiologists at the Mariinsky Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The X-ray room has been functioning in the Mariinsky Hospital since 1952 and was first equipped with Russian X-ray therapies. In 2014, the morally and technically obsolete devices were replaced by modern Xstrahl-200 and Xstrahl-300 (UK) devices, which allowed to reduce the time of patient exposure due to higher radiation intensity several times, thereby increasing the cabinet’s throughput.
Today, the Mariinsky Hospital uses Xstrahl devices to treat a variety of pathologies – degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system, acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of bones and soft tissues such as osteomyelitis, abscess, phlegmon, panaritium and so on. X-rays under these conditions have anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, antibacterial effects. That is why x-ray therapy is prescribed in the postoperative period with the development of anastomosis.
The use of orthovoltage X-ray therapy in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer with different localization allows one to completely get rid of a tumor without scarring of the skin, which is a very important factor when it comes to the cosmetic effect on the face.
However, the radiology experts note with sadness the reduction in the number of X-ray cabinets in the city, while maintaining and even increasing the number of patients that this procedure is indicated for. At the moment the Orthovoltage therapy cabinet is working in 2.5 shifts. Experts believe that the need for X-ray therapy significantly exceeds the supply. Today, patients from all districts of St. Petersburg and the nearest suburbs are sent to the Mariinsky Hospital for orthovoltage therapy. Specialists note that such a high load on the hospital’s office can be sustained thanks to the high efficiency and reliability of Xstrahl devices.
There were more than 1700 people with various pathologies were treated with X-ray therapy in 2017, more than 20,000 procedures were performed. Every day, radiologists perform 7 consultations for new patients and are assigned treatment. Every day, the office takes about 100 patients. All this indicates the high efficiency of X-ray therapy and its high relevance.
The publication was created with the assistance of the St. Petersburg Radiological Society. The original was published by the authors in the newspaper NRF Today, 2018
