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<\/p>\nDoctors in Sheffield are pioneering the use of a compact MRI scanner for imaging the brains of premature babies.<\/p>\n
The machine, at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, is one of only two purpose-built neonatal MRI scanners in the world.<\/p>\n
At present, ultrasound is normally used to scan the brains of newborns.<\/p>\n
Prof Paul Griffiths, of the University of Sheffield, said MRI was better at showing the structures of the brain and abnormalities more clearly.<\/p>\n
So far about 40 babies have been imaged in the MRI scanner, which was built by GE Healthcare with funding by the Wellcome Trust.<\/p>\n
One of them, Alice-Rose, was born at 24 weeks and had two bleeds in the brain.<\/p>\n
Her parents, Shaun and Rachael Westbrook, said the MRI scan was very helpful.<\/p>\n
Shaun told me: “It’s a much crisper image and a lot easier to understand than the ultrasound.”<\/p>\n
Rachael added: “It’s been a rollercoaster since Alice-Rose was born on 6 November: not everything was fully formed, and she still weighs only 2lb 13oz (1.28kg).<\/p>\n
“The MRI was reassuring as it meant you got a better look at her brain.”<\/p>\n
Ultrasound of the brain is possible in newborn babies only because the bones in their skull are not yet fused.<\/p>\n
The sound waves can travel through the two fontanelles – the soft spots between the bones.<\/p>\n
Prof Griffiths said: “Ultrasound is cheap, portable and convenient, but the position of the fontanelles means there are some parts of the brain which cannot be viewed.<\/p>\n
“MRI is able to show all of the brain and the surrounding anatomy, making the images easier to explain to parents.<\/p>\n
“From a diagnostic point, the big advantage is that MRI is able to show a wider range of brain abnormalities, in particular those which result from a lack of oxygen or blood supply.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
MRI scans are rarely performed on severely premature babies because the risks involved in transferring and handling a sick infant can outweigh the benefits.<\/p>\n
Prof Griffiths said: “MRI machines are huge, heavy objects which are sited in the basement or ground floor of hospitals, whereas maternity units are usually higher up, or in a completely different building, so it can mean a complicated journey to get a baby to and from the scanner.”<\/p>\n
The compact baby MRI machine at the Royal Hallamshire is not much bigger than a washing machine and just metres away from the neonatal intensive care unit, meaning that specialist staff are on hand in case of problems.<\/p>\n
The concept for a dedicated neonatal scanner was originally developed more than a decade ago by Prof Griffiths and Prof Martin Paley, of the University of Sheffield.<\/p>\n
Two prototype 3 Tesla neonatal MRIs were eventually built – the other is in Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts – although it is no longer in use.<\/p>\n
Neither machine has regulatory approval for clinical use, and both remain purely for research.<\/p>\n
Prof Griffiths said the next step would be to do a trial in premature babies to show definitively that MRI produces a better diagnosis and whether it altered the clinical management of children.<\/p>\n
It is not known how much a neonatal MRI machine would cost, should the system eventually get commercialised, but full-size scanners are typically priced at several hundred thousand pounds.<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has a 1.5 Tesla neonatal MRI scanner that was adapted from adult orthopaedic use.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Doctors in Sheffield are pioneering the use of a compact MRI scanner for imaging the brains of premature babies. The machine, at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, is one of only two purpose-built neonatal MRI scanners in the world. At present, ultrasound is normally used to scan the brains of newborns. Prof Paul Griffiths, of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[3345,3346,3347],"yoast_head":"\n