Staff at NHS hospitals in Hull said AI technology had cut MRI scan times, allowing them to see more patients.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said the software used algorithms to help reduce background noise, helping to achieve sharper images in a shorter time.
Karen Bunker, head of imaging, said: “This means we can reduce the scanning time on certain sequences, but still get the same imaging quality.”
The software has been installed at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital and will also be introduced at Scunthorpe General Hospital and Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.The Air Recon Deep Learning (ARDL) software was installed on the hospitals’ existing MRI machines.
Staff said the software was cutting between 10 and 15 minutes from average scan times.
A routine MRI head scan used to take 30 minutes but now takes 20, the trust said, while a prostate scan now takes 30 minutes instead of 45.
The trust added it can now scan 31 lumber spine patients over a 12 hour period, instead of 21 before.
Ms Bunker said: “People who struggle with claustrophobia or those with learning disabilities, who previously couldn’t tolerate a scan, are finding they are able to endure the shorter scan times.”
Staff also reported fewer children needed to have a general anaesthetic to get through a scan.
Hospitals around the world are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to scan and diagnose more patients faster and with greater accuracy. From detecting early signs of cancer to analyzing X-rays and CT scans, AI is helping reduce the workload on radiologists and cut down long waiting times for critical diagnoses.
AI systems, trained on millions of medical images, can now flag abnormalities in seconds — a task that might take a human specialist much longer. This rapid detection is especially crucial in overcrowded or under-resourced hospitals, where delays can mean life or death.
BBC
