Addenbrooke's Hospital unveils MRI scanner with AI

The new scanner is being used for the first time in the UK at the Cambridge hospital

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner which reduces time spent in the scanner and provides clearer images is being used for the first time in a UK hospital.

The 3.0 tesla kit has been installed at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve image quality and some scans can be carried out 20% faster than before, reducing waiting times.

The scanner is part of the hospital's £2m upgrade to its MRI service.

The extra sensitive detection coils and AI technology create an improved signal which allows clinicians to obtain sharper images, helping to diagnose patients with cancer and bone and joint diseases, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said.

"Some patients can become quite anxious during their MRI examination and find it difficult to lie still," said Dr Martin Graves, professor of MR physics and honorary consultant clinical scientist at the hospital.

"This may mean that some of the images obtained using standard imaging techniques are poor quality, but with the use of this new AI-based method we can reduce those scan times making the experience much better for the patient."

Sharper images can be generated using the new technology

Trained on tens of thousands of high quality images, the AI technology enables the images to be reconstructed more accurately by removing signals which interfere with the images, the trust said.

The scanner also has the capability to image bones by providing X-ray-like pictures but without the X-ray radiation.

Dr Andrew Grainger, consultant musculoskeletal radiologist, described the new technology as "very exciting".

"In some patients we hope to be able to use this technique to avoid the use of CT and therefore X-ray radiation," he said.