The University of Nottingham

The way in which potential problems with premature babies are diagnosed has been significantly improved thanks to your support and a new, state-of-the-art magnetic resonance incubator.

The University of Nottingham’s highly specialised incubator — costing more than £200,000 and based at the Queen’s Medical Centre — will be used to transport babies from the Neonatal Unit to the MRI scanner at the hospital.

The benefits to the baby, parents and medical staff are immense. Previously, on reaching the MRI scanner, the baby would have to be moved from the old transporter for the scan. The new incubator was made possible by donations from a range of supporters, including the James Tudor Foundation. It has an integral 3T infant Head Coil for MR imaging, which is the first in the world, and has MRI-compatible parts, meaning the whole unit can be wheeled into the MR scanner without having to disturb the baby. Premature babies can now undergo detailed MR imaging supported by all the treatments essential to their well-being.