AboutWhat is the Children's MRI Scanner Appeal?

It is a large scanning machine which has a strong magnet and computers which produce detailed pictures of the insides of bodies. It can detect a tumour as small as a grain of barley.

At present the RBHSC does not have an MRI Scanner, it is the only Children’s hospital in the UK not to have one. Therefore patients of RBHSC, who require an MRI scan, have this performed on an MRI Scanner in the imaging centre in the Royal Victoria Hospital which is primarily a department for adults. There is very limited access to the scanner as demands for MRI scans exceeds the time available to use the machine. Therefore many children who would benefit from an MRI scan are unable to have one and are investigated in some other way. Sometimes this entails using radiation, for example with a CT scan or an invasive procedure such as cardiac catheterisation.

It is used to investigate and help in the diagnosis of many different diseases. These include disorders in the brain, heart disease, bone and joint diseases, the diagnosis of cancer and follow-up during treatment, some kidney diseases and many other conditions. It looks at tissues that x-rays do not show.

In addition to being able to investigate more patients using MRI, one of the main benefits is improved safety. It would be a dedicated paediatric MRI scanner located in a child friendly environment and run by staff who are trained in the care of children.

It would also be much safer as infants and children who are seriously ill would no longer have to be transported by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital for their scan. This can also be very traumatic for sick or injured children and their parents.

It is very inconvenient to schedule MRI’s for individual children with the added difficulty of transferring results from the main neurosurgical unit to the ‘Children’s’.

Another advantage is that it does not use radiation.