New tech spares surgery

Technology advances in the medical sector, along with specialist training, are delivering a service to women in the Mackay region that previously required surgery.

Endometriosis in Queensland has a higher prevalence than the national average and is a condition where endometrial-like tissue is present outside the uterus.

It is associated with pelvic pain, infertility, and poor mental health, and often many women suffer for years without a diagnosis, as up until now it would require surgery.

With new advances in imaging and specialist training undertaken by the team at Mackay Base Hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, this condition can now be identified, diagnosed and treated sooner, and without the need for surgery to confirm its presence.

Having the ability to diagnose Endometriosis locally is proving a boom for the Mackay region, with women across the area now able to take advantage of the new imaging process without having to travel.

Allan Hellmuth is the Ultrasound Team Leader at the Mackay Base Hospital Medical Imaging Department and working alongside Senior Radiographer/Sonographer Amy Symonds, they are both excited about the future of imaging in a region that continues to grow at a fast pace.

“Endometriosis can be a debilitating condition, and it can affect women of all ages,” Allan said. “In fact, we are seeing young women, even teenagers coming in for scans who get diagnosed. The symptoms are abdominal pain, and many women live with it for years.

“One of the main issues with endometriosis is a lack of knowledge, and the fact is that many women simply haven’t heard of it. I’ve seen some women suffer for up to seven years before getting diagnosed, and that’s where this technology, while in its infancy, is so good for patient outcomes.”

“That’s one of most exciting things about my job…we're still finding new ways to do things and implementing new innovations to find things we couldn't find before. Ultrasound technology can change so much in a short space of time,” Allan said.

Statistically, Queensland has a higher prevalence of endometriosis than the national average, with one in six (17%) of women diagnosed with endometriosis by the time they are in their early 40s, compared to just over one in 10 (11%) of women Australia wide.

Earlier this year, the Queensland Government committed $18.2 million to identify, diagnose and provide better quality care for women suffering with symptoms of endometriosis faster.

Senior Radiographer/Sonographer Amy Symonds recently travelled to Sydney to undertake specialist training in the detection and diagnosis of endometriosis through imaging, and believes that this will be a great step forward for women’s health in the region.

“There is definitely more awareness about endometriosis, especially in the last couple of years,” Amy said. “A lot of research has been poured into the condition globally and here in Queensland. There was an awareness month in March, which has helped.

“For patients, it takes years to get a diagnosis but now with these new techniques and technology, that is going to change. The training I did has put me on a whole different path, so much more in-depth. I’m looking at parts of the body I wouldn’t have looked closely at before, I’m looking now for things I wouldn’t have before, and the ripple effect of this is that there are going to be many surgical procedures that can be avoided. That’s going to affect thousands of women in Mackay.

“We are now doing scans at a level that Mackay has never seen, our knowledge and training has gone up to new levels. Ideally, we hope that one day we can set up an endometriosis clinic and that’s never been done before.”

Find out more about the Medical Imaging services at Mackay Base Hospital HERE