The new machine is funded through the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) Biomedical Equipment Grant Round, an annual round supporting the purchase of additional biomedical equipment to support innovations in health care.  

For Dr Patricia Kaazan and the IBD team, the new technology means patients can be assessed during their initial appointment, helping them understand what is happening earlier and begin a conversation about treatment sooner. 

“This machine means our IBD patients get answers, and often a treatment plan, in the time it used to take just to get a scan booked,” Dr Kaazan said. 

Faster and easier access to the answers they need 

For many people with IBD, understanding what is happening with their condition can involve a GP referral, a colonoscopy and a follow-up appointment to discuss the results. 

Intestinal ultrasound provides another way to assess bowel inflammation, helping the team see whether there is active inflammation and where it is located — often during the same appointment. 

That means patients can have a conversation about their treatment sooner, without always needing to wait for a colonoscopy or another scan. 

Expanding options for people with Crohn’s disease 

The new machine is expected to be used by more than 2,000 patients each year, making intestinal ultrasound an important addition to IBD care at Flinders Medical Centre. 

It also includes a dedicated perianal probe, which is particularly valuable for people with perianal Crohn’s disease. 

This form of Crohn’s can be difficult to assess and has often required an MRI or an examination under anaesthetic to properly characterise fistulising disease. 

“A dedicated perianal probe means we can assess these patients in clinic, without referring them on for imaging that can take weeks to access,” Dr Kaazan said. 

For patients, that can mean more of their care happens with the same team, closer to home. 

A moment of reassurance 

The impact of this technology goes far beyond appointments and procedures; it’s about the relief of receiving good news right there and then. 

Dr Kaazan remembers one patient who was pregnant and living with Crohn’s disease. At 12 weeks after treatment, she came in for a follow-up ultrasound. 

The scan showed transmural remission — meaning the bowel wall itself had healed, not just the symptoms settling. 

“She was in tears.” 

“For someone who is pregnant and managing Crohn’s disease, that result provided enormous reassurance. And she had it in the room, straight away, rather than waiting days for a report.” 

Your support in action 

Bringing new technology into clinical care takes investment, expertise and time. 

For Dr Kaazan and her team, community support has helped make this technology available to patients sooner. 

Through the SALHN Biomedical Equipment Grant round, kind Flinders Foundation supporters are helping Flinders clinicians further access innovative technology that expands the ways patients can be assessed and monitored — supporting exceptional care for people living with IBD. 

For more than 2,000 patients each year, this machine represents another way to access care: with faster answers, closer to home.