Clinical expertise
Dr Wechalekar is a Consultant in Nuclear Medicine and PET with expertise in nuclear cardiology, infection, inflammation, infiltration imaging and lung imaging. She provides specialist assessment and imaging for the following conditions:
- ischaemic heart disease
- cardiac sarcoidosis
- cardiac amyloidosis
- infective endocarditis
Dr Wechalekar’s specialist imaging services include:
- Myocardial perfusion scan (SPECT and PET)
- PET scan for cardiac sarcoidosis, infective endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis
- DPD SPECT for cardiac amyloidosis
- Cardiac neuronal imaging with SPECT
Locations
Our specialist provides care at these locations:
Biography
Dr Wechalekar has been a consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital since 2008. In 2016, she established and now leads the PET service at the Trust’s Wimpole Street site. She also holds an honorary consultant position at the PET Centre at King’s College London.
She is a past President of the British Nuclear Cardiology Society (BNCS) and currently serves as a committee member, research champion, and education committee advisor for the British Nuclear Medicine Society (BNMS). She was recently awarded Fellowship of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and actively contributes to the International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology (ICNC).
Dr Wechalekar has been instrumental in transforming the nuclear medicine department by introducing cardiac PET services for perfusion, infection, and inflammation—services that remain unique within the UK. She also led the acquisition and implementation of London’s first advanced solid-state SPECT-CT camera at Royal Brompton Hospital. Her approach reflects her belief that excellence in imaging relies on the integration of clinical expertise with technological innovation.
Her passion for teaching is translated into annual Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Nuclear Cardiology Course, designed to educate clinicians, technologists, and nurses in advanced cardiac imaging.
Dr Wechalekar is a clinical ambassador for Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, working to strengthen relationships between the charity, donors and the hospitals. In this role, Dr Wechalekar’s clinical expertise helps donors to understand the difference their support makes and deepens ties to the charity’s life-changing projects, pioneering research, and improved patient outcomes.
Research
Dr Wechalekar has a strong interest in hybrid imaging. She developed new software for lobar quantification in VQ scans, which has become an important tool for pre-surgical evaluation in patients with lung cancer and COPD. This software has been adopted internationally.
Her research focuses on cardiac sarcoidosis, cardiac amyloidosis, and infective endocarditis, with ongoing contributions to clinical practice and imaging methodology
Publications
Dr Kshama Wechalekar has written papers for many peer-reviewed journals and review articles. She has authored book chapters and presented work at national and international meetings. She has written invited editorials and has been a reviewer for various British, European and American nuclear medicine journals.
Teaching
Dr Kshama Wechalekar teaches nuclear cardiology at Imperial College London and MSc students at King’s College London. She teaches nuclear cardiology to London Deanery trainees rotating through the hospitals.
