Coimbatore : City-based Sri Ramakrishna Hospital today launched the first symmetrical biplane cath lab in entire South East Asia, providing complete anatomical coverage of the brain.

This should help the hospital address the increasing number of stroke cases in the region, increasing trend of non-cardiac cases including interventional radiology cases like those of kidney, liver and abdomen, and complex cardiac cases.

These could be treated via inter-ventional procedures as opposed to surgery, which was a lengthier procedure requiring longer hospital stay, R VIjayakumar, Managing Trustee of SNR Sons Charitable Trust which runs the hospital, told reporters on the sidelines of the launch.

The Innova IGS 630 from GE Healthcare offers next generation of 3D imaging and a comprehensive set of advanced applications to perform procedures with confidence and precision, company Chief Marketing Officer Glenn Thomas said.

The Rs 8-crore equipment catered to all kinds of interventional needs from complex interventional neuro radiology cases to peripheral vascular ones, he said.

The mission of the 1000-bed hospital was to bring in medical tourism with a team of the specialist doctors by providing the latest treatment, the first of its kind, Vijayakumar said.