Edinburgh Imaging

​​​​​​​18 Apr 18. MRI upgrade

Heart patients to benefit from £400,000 BHF grant for state-of-the-art MRI scanning in Edinburgh.

BHF Grant

The funds will pay for a major scanner upgrade to the existing MRI scanner at the Edinburgh Imaging Facility QMRI- including improvements to hardware and software - to ensure that heart imaging equipment, located at the Queen’s Medical Research Institute (QMRI) at the University of Edinburgh offers the best imaging facilities to cardiologists and scientists.

The BHF initially invested in the MRI scanner at the imaging facility in 2008 (with a Siemens Magnetom Verio 3T scanner). This has been used to pioneer several cardiovascular imaging applications and large trials, focussing on developing non-invasive methods to assess cardiovascular disease. Now with the £400,00 investment from the British Heart Foundation, we will be upgrading the existing  Verio MRI scanner to a state-of-the-art Siemens Magnetom Skyra scanner, which will improve our cardiac imaging capabilities.

Funding investment like this is a vital part of making discoveries happen and turning them into medical advances that transform and save lives.

James CantDirector BHF Scotland

How does an MRI scan work?

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, works by creating a strong magnetic field. This causes protons, tiny particles within the body, to line-up with the magnetic field. Radio frequency pulses are then used to deliver energy and briefly knock the protons out of alignment. By measuring differences in how protons return to position, scientists are able to build up detailed pictures of the heart and its structures using the intrinsic magnetic properties of the body.

This upgraded Siemens Skyra MRI scanner, will allow cardiologists and scientists to take advantage of new technical developments in the field of MRI, which will improve our cardiac imaging capabilities.

The upgrade means we will be able to image the heart much more rapidly, leading to shorter examination times for patients and a more comfortable experience. We’ll also be able to image the heart and circulatory system in much more detail which will continue to strengthen our development of novel, imaging-based cardiovascular research for years to come

Dr Scott SempleDirector, Edinburgh Imaging Facility QMRI

Update on our Siemens Upgrade

We are delighted to confirm that in the last week of June, work began on the decommissioning of our Siemens Verio MR scanner, to be upgraded to a Siemens Skyra-fit scanner. So far everything is going to plan and we are very grateful to The BHF for funding this refit and we look forward to commencing training on the upgraded Siemens Skyrafit scanner in mid-July 2018.