Chest specialists scoop award

5:43pm Sunday 27th January 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A team of hospital chest specialists have won a prestigious national award.

The Bronchoscopy Team led by Dr M Munavvar, Consultant Chest Physician and Clinical Director of Medicine, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been presented with the Hospital Doctor Highly Commended Certificate' under the oncology team of the year category.

The judge said: "The team's exceptional use of resources, innovative approach, and excellent team work deserved this recognition."

The Interventional Bronchoscopy Team based in the Endoscopy Unit at the Royal Preston Hospital, run by the Trust, undertake and evaluate several new techniques to help with the speedy and accurate diagnosis of lung cancer.

One such pioneering tool is the ultrasound bronchoscope, which is a thin and flexible telescope fitted with an ultrasound probe through which a needle can be passed to obtain tissue samples.

Using this sophisticated equipment, it is possible to accurately say as to how far the disease has spread in lung cancer patients and also in other life threatening chest conditions.

Preston's Interventional Bronchoscopy Unit is also a national training centre for this and other procedures, which are not widely available in the UK.

Dr Munavvar said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award.

"It is fantastic recognition of the work undertaken by all the staff in our team.

"For the past few years we have been practising and teaching this and other techniques such as thoracoscopy (a special telescope test to study the lining of the lungs), all of which tremendously enhance the rapidity and accuracy of diagnosis of chest diseases, particularly cancers.

"We were fortunate to be amongst the first four centres in the UK to develop this service, and thus provide benefits from cutting-edge tools to people in North West England."