Northern Health is double-checking the scans of over 5,200 patients who recently had radiology exams at Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace.
Any patients whose exams need to be re-done will be contacted by the end of March.
Northern Health announced the quality-control after finding problems with the work of a single radiologist who is now on voluntary leave.
Examined between October and January, the 8,400 images in the review include CT and ultrasound scans as well as general X-rays.
“The review does not mean that all of the original readings are inaccurate or incomplete,” said a Northern Health press release posted on Friday, Feb. 24.
In most cases, even if the radiologist did make a mistake, patients are unlikely to face a worse diagnosis.
“These tests are used to support a physician diagnosis, and are not the only factor considered,” said Northern Health, adding that the problem was found relatively quickly. Radiologists at Vancouver General Hospital will help with re-reading the thousands of scans.
Any patient who does not hear about his or her scans by the end of March does not need to follow-up with a doctor, although anyone with questions is encouraged to do so.
For general questions about the review, email Northern Health at NWradiology@northernhealth.ca.
