PATIENTS in Scotland have become the first in the world to use a new scanner that has been likened to “100 MRIs in one”.

A team of researchers at the University of Aberdeen have scanned the first set of patients with their prototype Fast Field Cycling MRI scanner.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses strong magnetic fields and radiowaves to produce detailed images of inside a patient’s body.

The new scanner can extract more information than a traditional MRI machine by switching the strength of the magnetic field during the scanning procedure, researchers said.

Research group leader Professor David Lurie said: “Because Fast Field Cycling scanners can switch their magnetic field, it is almost like having 100 different MRI scanners in one. This gives an extra dimension to the data collected from each patient, greatly expanding the diagnostic potential.

“It is incredibly exciting to have imaged our first patients. This is a major step towards our technology being adopted by hospitals to benefit patients, which is the ultimate goal of our research.”