'MRI simulator means I'm less scared to have scans'

A 13-year-old autistic girl, who previously found undergoing an MRI scan so distressing she had to have general anaesthetic, has said a new "rocket scanner" has helped her overcome her anxiety.

Manha from Burnage, Greater Manchester, has had regular MRI scans since the age of four because she has a brain condition called Chiari Malformation Type 1.

She said a newly installed MRI simulator at Manchester Children's Hospital, which helps children get used to the scanning process, meant she felt less fearful about her upcoming scans.

Manha added: "Even though it's not going to be as cool as a rocket, I'll still know what to expect and that helps me a lot as an autistic person."

Shaped like a rocket and mimicking the lights and sounds of a real MRI scanner, the simulator also features a screen and interactive games aimed at helping children overcome their fear and anxiety.

It also tracks their movement, and uses games aimed at encouraging them to keep still, as is required in a real MRI scan.

Manha said: "I like the simplicity and that we can adjust certain features like the sound to accommodate my sensory preferences."

Manha's mum, Amina said she was on the verge of cancelling Manha's scans due to the trauma caused by having to be put to sleep.

"I couldn't go through her having a scan under anaesthetic and the trauma that causes beforehand," she said.

"A piece of equipment like this is quite fundamental because she's now happy to have the scan and she's looking forward to it and takes the worry and the stress out as a parent."

It is the first rocket scanner to be put in place at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital following several fundraising events, with another to be installed at Wythenshawe Hospital.

The Manchester Foundation Trust said about 1,300 children they care for need to be sedated for a scan, with a further 700 needing to be made unconscious through general anaesthetic.

Gillian Bailey-Smith, lead radiographer for magnetic resonance imaging at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said the trauma of undergoing an MRI scan for children could sometimes last into adulthood.

She said the new simulator "helps [children] to prepare for what they need to do... and help to process things in their own time".

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