Tiny scanner a big leap in baby care
Hospital has one of only two in world
A pioneering scanner used for obtaining high quality images of tiny babies’ brains at a Yorkshire hospital has been hailed as a “potentially massive step forward”.
The machine, at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, is one of only two purpose-built neonatal MRI scanners in the world.
A PIONEERING scanner used for obtaining high quality images of tiny babies’ brains at a Yorkshire hospital has been hailed as a “potentially massive step forward” for neo-natal treatment.
The machine, at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, is one of only two purpose-built neonatal MRI scanners in the world and has so far been used to scan 40 babies.
It is seen as a significant improvement on ultrasound, which is currently used to scan the brains of newborns, because it can display all of the brain and better highlight a wider range of brain abnormalities so they can be treated.
Usually MRI scans are rarely performed on severely premature babies because the risks involved in transferring and handling a sick infant can outweigh the benefits.
But 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.
Professor Paul Griffiths, Professor of Radiology at the University of Sheffield and an honorary consultant at Sheffield’s hospital trust, has been working with a colleague for 12 years on the concept and design of the scanner.
He told The Yorkshire Post: “It is a potentially massive step forward. People have been resistant to using the MRI, because of the safety issues of taking babies out of neo-natal care they have not had the access to the MRI. Therefore an individual baby has had to rely on having a neo-natal scan on the brain.”
He added: “Babies, particularly with brain problems, are unstable – they can stop breathing or their blood pressure can change in an unpredictable way.
“If that happens it is useful to have neo-natal staff who are used to that situation in such close proximity, which will improve safety. The MR images themselves provide a more detailed image and can help provide a more accurate diagnosis.
“The motivation to keep going with this project is a belief that at the end we will have something that is better for babies with these types of brain problems.”
The prototype scanner is part of a two-year research project and a collaboration between Sheffield hospitals trust, the University of Sheffield, GE Healthcare, and the Wellcome Trust.
Susie Thoms, from Clayton West, near Huddersfield, allowed her son Toby to be scanned after he was born six weeks premature by caesarean section and spent a week in neonatal intensive care.
She said: “Not having to leave the department was a massive advantage, because having to transfer elsewhere at what is already a difficult time, would be a lot of extra stress for Toby, myself and the teams involved.
“You can get so much information from the images and see incredible detail. Toby coped with the scan really well and the care he received was absolutely brilliant on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Baby Unit.
“I didn’t have any hesitation about taking part as I think doing this research, and possibly benefitting other parents and babies in the future, is very important.
“Toby is now back home, his feeding tube has recently been removed and he is doing really well.”
In the UK, five in every 1,000 newborns suffer brain injury, and nearly one in five of those die from it.
Survivors are at risk of developing long-term neurological problems. Faster and more accurate diagnosis could help improve clinical outcomes.
Not having to leave the department was a massive advantage. Susie Thoms, from Clayton West, near Huddersfield, whose son Toby was scanned