Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reports that AI software has shortened MRI scan durations, enabling more patients to be examined. The Air Recon Deep Learning (ARDL) software uses algorithms to reduce background noise, producing clearer images faster.
The software, installed on existing MRI machines at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, will soon be introduced at Scunthorpe General Hospital and Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.
Staff say the AI system cuts 10 to 15 minutes from typical scan times. For example, routine head MRIs have decreased from 30 to 20 minutes, and prostate scans from 45 to 30 minutes. The trust can now scan 31 lumbar spine patients in 12 hours, up from 21 previously.
Karen Bunker, head of imaging, noted that shorter scans benefit patients with claustrophobia or learning disabilities, who previously found scans difficult to tolerate. Additionally, fewer children require general anaesthesia during scans.