Saskatchewan Health Authority brings cutting-edge scanning technology to province
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is home to two of only four StarGuide scanners in all of Canada, made possible through capital investment from the Ministry of Health and Royal University Hospital Foundation.
StarGuide is a SPECT/CT system, pairing a gamma-ray scan that tracks an injected tracer with a CT scan that maps the body's structure. Together, the two create a detailed 3D image used to detect cancers, heart conditions and other issues in the body's soft tissue.
The scanners are located at Regina General Hospital, seeing patients since April 2025, and Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, seeing patients since January 2026.
"Patients have come off this camera and said, oh, that's it? That was nothing!" said Megan MacPherson, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, who works with the scanner at Regina General Hospital.
Patients who once spent up to an hour on the scanning bed now spend just 20 to 30 minutes. Even patients who experience claustrophobia have found the scan manageable, thanks to gaps between the detectors that let them see through the machine.
The scanner's CT component also gives the hospitals added flexibility. If CT machines are ever down, StarGuide can step in as an emergency backup, helping keep critical imaging available for patients.
No longer needing to travel outside the province for this imaging or treatment, Saskatchewan residents are benefiting from the right care, at the right time, at the right place.
The Nuclear Medicine team continues to reflect the CARES values of compassion, accountability, respect, equity and safety in every patient they care for.
