Biography

Dr Kshama Wechalekar trained as a nuclear physician at Radiation Medicine Centre, Mumbai. She had further training at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai for her National Board qualification.

After moving to the UK, she trained at Royal Brompton and Royal Marsden hospitals. She gained specialist knowledge in nuclear cardiology and oncology, including PET-CT. She also has a specialist qualification in nuclear cardiology from both the American and European nuclear cardiology boards.

She became a consultant since 2008 at Royal Brompton Hospital and became clinical lead in Nuclear Medicine in 2011. She went on to establish the PET service at the Wimpole Street site in 2016, which she leads.

Areas of expertise

Dr Wachalekar's areas of expertise include: 

• nuclear perfusion imaging of the heart for ischaemic heart disease with SPECT and PET (Rubidium)

• quantification of lung function with VQ SPECT-CT

• imaging infection using PET-CT

• imaging for cardiac and systemic sarcoidosis using PET-CT

• neuro-cardiac imaging with mIBG

Dr Wechalekar has developed cardiac PET-CT for imaging for cardiac sarcoidosis which is a life-threatening, but an under-diagnosed condition. She contributes to the cardiac sarcoidosis multi-disciplinary team and the service is the largest in the UK. She gets requests for second opinions from various parts of the country and has helped other departments to set up their service.

Dr Wechalekar has extensive experience in myocardial perfusion imaging which she has taken to the next level from SPECT to PET perfusion imaging with Rubidium-82. PET imaging gives much lower radiation to patients, can be done within an hour and is the most accurate imaging method for measuring blood supply to heart muscle.

Her research work in lung lobar quantification has helped the respiratory team to assess lung function prior to surgery more accurately.

Teaching

Dr Wechalekar regularly teaches nuclear cardiology to Imperial College students, MSc students at King's College and has been faculty for various courses on nuclear cardiology, symposia in cardiac sarcoidosis nationally and internationally. She is an educational supervisor for nuclear medicine trainees from London deanery.

Memberships

She has been President of the British Nuclear Cardiology Society from 2016 to 2018 and hosted the first multi-specialty cardiac imaging meeting in 2018. Dr Wechalekar actively contributes to several professional organisations nationally such as BNMS, BCS, BNMS and internationally to EACVI, ESC and ASNC by giving talks and presenting her work at the meetings.  

Publications

Dr Wechalekar has written papers and review articles for many peer-reviewed journals. She has authored book chapters and presented work at national and international meetings. She reviews papers for international journals in nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology and heart failure.

Private patient referral 

If you would like to make an appointment with this specialist for private care, contact the RB&HH Specialist care team.