The Royal Children's Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) became the first paediatric hospital in the southern hemisphere to install a MR-PET scanner, @siemens Biograph mMR. The nine tonne Magnetic Resonance Positron Emission Tomography machine, or MR-PET, was safely manoeuvred into its new home in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department today by a team of eight and a 20-tonne forklift. Made possible by the generosity of Victorians through the 2012 Good Friday Appeal (GFA), the state-of-the-art machine will significantly improve outcomes for patients with cancer, neurological conditions and other disorders by giving a more accurate diagnoses. RCH Neurologist, Dr Simon Harvey, said the MR-PET combines the most effective medical scanning procedures, MRI and PET, into one piece of equipment for the first time. “For our young patients, some of whom require sedation and even general anaesthetic to undergo these important but intimidating procedures, the MR-PET will mean fewer scans, and therefore a more positive experience,” he said.
