St Luke's Radiology | Oxfordshire
Specialist Clinical and Imaging Services
We at St Luke’s Radiology Oxfordshire ensure that we maintain the highest standards of safety during the ongoing COVID pandemic for both you and our team. To avoid unnecessary contact, one of our doctors will undertake a telephone consultation for all new referrals before any commencing in-person treatment. We are still seeing patients in sever pain during the COVID19 pandemic.
St Luke's Radiology | Oxfordshire
Specialist Clinical and Imaging Services
We provide specialist clinical and imaging services at St. Luke’s Hospital in Headington Oxford, Oxfordshire.
Joint, soft tissue and spine intervention and MRI Services | Oxford
We are registered with most major health care insurance companies and our rates are all within their reimbursement links which means no additional charges for insured patients. We can also accommodate noninsured patients who wish to self-fund; our current fees can be found here.
Our Doctors have admitting rights for MEI and other procedures at the Manor Hospital (Oxford), Genesis Care Oxford, Cobalt Health (Cheltenham), or European Scanning (Harley Street, London).
We arrange and report examinations using electronic links to our cloud-based patient archiving and communication system (PACS). Images are transferred to us electronically, we report them electronically and can make the online images and reports available to any of your medical advisors.
We will make the referral, arrange investigation, report the examination, and archive the images at no additional charge for all referrals channeled through our practice. The remote hospital will bill patients at the same rate as their standard charges.
Joint and soft tissue disorders service
Joints are commonly affected by arthritic complaints and degeneration. They may be injured during a fall or an occupational or sporting activity. Members of our team are trained in sports medicine and we have high-level expertise in the imaging investigation using x-rays, ultrasound, CT and MRI. When appropriate we offer injections including local anaesthetic, steroids, hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet rich plasma(PRP). We work closely with local physiotherapists and other specialists for rehabilitation, helping to restore function. We take referrals from general practices, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, sports therapists and physicians, rheumatologists and surgeons but we also have the expertise and training to take self-referrals from patients themselves. We undertake many of the procedures St Luke’s Radiology Oxford in Headington but we also use facilities at other local private hospitals. We have access to MRI in Oxford, London and Cheltenham.
Nowadays we undertake most of our initial consultations by videoconference or telephone to decide what tests and investigation might be needed. This would also include coming into our clinic for a physical examination when necessary. Often we combine this with an ultrasound examination but sometimes we’ll need to arrange other investigations in advance. We offer packages which group investigations and consultation with follow-up. With your permission we will communicate with your general practitioner to keep them up-to-date on the treatment and the results of investigations. We can obtain imaging that were performed at other centres and results of blood tests by electronic means again with your permission.
Our aim is to provide a comprehensive service which deals with diagnosis, investigation, treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up.
Spine intervention service | Oxford
Our service includes a full clinical review including assessment of disability and the individual’s response to pain. We will ask you to complete a detailed history, disability and pain questionnaire which takes approximately 30 minutes. This is essential to give us a full picture of the medical problems before we discuss the case with the patient. We follow up patients with pain diaries which can be in paper format or electronically for at least two weeks after the procedure. We then provide a follow-up report which gives advice on future management. We deal with any problems or complications that may ensue. All this is part of the package incorporated in the procedure. However, if a patient decides not to proceed to an injection, then we will simply charge for the initial consultation.
Our spine interventional radiologists have considerable experience in the investigation and management of spine disorders. We have a full range of image investigations to determine the nature of the problem.
Back pain and leg or arm pain due to nerve entrapment is a common condition. Fortunately, most settle fully within a few weeks but in those patients who do not respond to treatment and investigation, then treatment by injection techniques may be appropriate. We will arrange consultation appointments to discuss the individual’s medical history and symptoms. We will then be able to advise on a management plan working in collaboration with Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Spine Surgeons.
We undertake many of our procedures at St Luke’s Radiology in Headington using modern imaging techniques to guide the needle placement. We combine ultrasound real-time images with previously undertaken MRI examinations to offer fusion imaging guided injections. We can also attach radio transmitters to the needles that we use, and a tracking system predicts the path and target with considerable precision. This technique has the advantage of not using any radiation.
We also have the facility to perform x-ray (fluoroscopic) guided injections which are particularly helpful in the cervical spine. We may need to use CT (computed tomography) guidance in more complex cases. We provide fluoroscopic and CT-guided techniques at the Manor Hospital in Headington.
Our team
St Luke's Radiology Team
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Frequently asked Radiology Service Questions
What is the difference between a radiologist and a radiographer?
A radiologist is a doctor who is specially trained to interpret diagnostic images such as X-rays, MRI and CT scans. If you have an interventional procedure (such as an angiogram or biopsy) a radiologist will perform the procedure. Sometimes ultrasound scans may be performed by a radiologist. Radiologists provide a written report of the results of your examination which he or she will send to your doctor.
A radiographer is a person who has been trained to take your X-ray or perform your MRI or CT scan. If a radiographer has been trained to perform an ultrasound, he/she may be called a sonographer. If you have an interventional procedure (such as an angiogram or biopsy) a radiographer will be part of the team looking after you. Some radiographers are also involved in giving radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients.
If you are interested in becoming a radiographer, please contact the Society and College of Radiographers
How safe are X-rays? The risks associated with medical X-rays are frequently exaggerated. It is estimated that the chances of contracting cancer as a result of an X-ray of the chest, for example, are similar to the risks of contracting cancer by inhaling the smoke of one cigarette – about one in a million.
If you are worried about any treatment or scans you may be having, speak again to your GP or the hospital staff. They can refer to your medical records and if they know of your concerns they will always make time to explain the examination or treatment in more detail. You can find out more about radiation from medical X-rays on the Public Health England website.
What is ultrasound?
Ultrasound consists of high frequency sound waves too high for the human ear to detect, rather like the noise used by bats and dolphins to determine where they are. These waves are emitted by an ultrasound probe and travel harmlessly through the body bouncing off various layers of tissue. The probe then hears these echoes which are relayed onto a screen allowing the pictures to be interpreted. Ultrasound is now the method of choice for monitoring the foetus during pregnancy and in diagnosis of numerous conditions involving organs such as the liver, kidney, heart and blood vessels.
What is a CAT or CT scan?
Computed axial tomography (CT scan) is simply another X-ray technique using a scanner that takes a series of pictures across the body allowing the radiologist to view the images in two dimensional or three dimensional form. Spiral CT is the most modern form of this imaging with the pictures being produced in only a few seconds.
What is a CAT or CT scan?
Computed axial tomography (CT scan) is simply another X-ray technique using a scanner that takes a series of pictures across the body allowing the radiologist to view the images in two dimensional or three dimensional form. Spiral CT is the most modern form of this imaging with the pictures being produced in only a few seconds.
What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
This test is similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism and radio waves to build up a series of cross sectional images. MRI pictures as so precise that they often provide as much information as directly looking at the tissues. For this reason MRI has potential to reduce the number of certain diagnostic procedures. MRI uses no X-rays and the magnetic fields are not known to be harmful. However, it takes longer to obtain the pictures than a conventional X-ray machine, and although the price is coming down all the time, the cost of the equipment means that they are used primarily in those centres where they are kept most busy.
Radiology & Imaging works hard to ensure that your exam results reach your doctor as quickly as possible. Usually, results are delivered to your physician within 24 hours of your exam. When you need results faster than that, Radiology & Imaging provides them.
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. You may have to put on a gown. Metal objects like jewelry, eyeglasses, dentures and hairpins may affect the images. When you can, leave those items at home. You may also remove them just before your exam.
It’s necessary for you to arrive early in order to complete or review your paperwork and prepare you for your examination. Our technologists need to keep a strict schedule in order to accommodate the many patients we see everyday. For some procedures patients need to arrive earlier.
Coverage for imaging tests is variable and depends on your insurance carrier, your plan, any exclusions, and sometimes the indications for the examination. If you have questions regarding your coverage, please call the phone number on the back of your insurance card.
A radiologic technologist is a specially trained medical professional that performs your diagnostic imaging examination. They do not interpret the images—that is the job of the radiologist. Each of our technologists has successfully passed a national certification examination and they also must continue their education by earning credits every year to perform imaging studies.
Absolutely! Your radiologist is available to you and your referring physician. He or she will help your doctor choose the proper exam and interpret the results. Using those exam results, your radiologist will help recommend next steps. Your health is our concern.
Radiologists play an important role in your health care. They are expert consultants to referring physicians. We call the doctor who sent you for an exam a referring physician or your personal physician. Radiologists work with your personal physician to choose the exam that fits your needs. A technologist conducts your exam and then a radiologist interprets your medical images and will recommend further scans or treatments, if necessary.
Radiologists also treat diseases. They use radiation (radiation oncology) or minimally invasive, image-guided surgery. Other physicians rely on radiologists to correlate medical image findings with other examinations and tests.
