Mock MRI scanner fires up in New Zealand

2016 05 26 09 30 39 617 New Zealand Mri Mock Up

A mock MRI scanner that enables patients to experience what a scan is like -- complete with scanning noises -- has gone into use at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

The Centre for Advanced MRI at the university's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences installed the mock-up scanner to enable children who need an MRI scan for clinical or research purposes to get used to the noisy and sometimes claustrophobic MRI environment. The mock-up is designed to be a full-size replica of a 1.5-tesla scanner.

Staff at the center hope that the mock-up will reduce the need for anesthesia in children who are anxious and require MRI scans. With respect to research, the mock-up enables individuals being scanned to practice tasks that might be expected for research studies.

Image courtesy of the University of Auckland.Image courtesy of the University of Auckland.

Individuals going into the mock-up get an explanation of their procedure and then must lie still in the scanner while a CD of MRI sounds is played. The process takes about 30 minutes, according to the university. If patients are able to lie still in the scanner, then they are booked for a regular scan.

Siemens Healthineers gave the mock scanner to the university, while refurbishment of the facility was funded by Auckland UniServices, the commercial arm of the University of Auckland.

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