FOR the past two years Frances Goetzee has been unable to walk more than a yard without a crippling pain in her legs, but doctors have so-far been unable to diagnose the reason.

They suspected the pensioner, 78, had pains in her calves and knees because of a narrowing of the spinal canal, but until now, no-one could tell her for sure.

Within 15 minutes, the reason for that pain and discomfort could clearly be seen on a computer screen as superintendent Heather Moody and senior radiographer Davina Kidd took a series of images of Mrs Goetzee's spine, using the new £1 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner bought through the SuperScan appeal.

Minutes later, consultant radiologist Dr Duncan Gavin was able to see exactly where the problem lay. He didn't want to make it public until he had had a chance to speak to his patient. But he knew and that was the important thing.

Mother-of-six Mrs Goetzee, who also has 15 grandchildren and another on-the-way, became the first patient to use the scanner, being top of the waiting list. Dr Gavin said: "This machine will revolutionise the treatment and diagnosis of patients in this area, because these scans show things that we could not see any other way. Conventional X-rays shine straight through soft tissue, but with this machine we can see ligaments, cartilage and tissue. It's fantastic and will be a great help with sports injuries and the like, as well as serious, life-threatening conditions." The scanner works through a huge and very powerful magnet and radiowaves which use protons in the water and fat in the body to create an image. The radiographers pinpoint the exact place they want to picture and make a series of images showing different views.

Physicist David Brettle, based at The Christie Hospital, Manchester, will spend one day a week in Blackburn working in the MRI department and providing support to the team operating the complicated machine.

He said: "This machine is so good because it gives a lot more information, which will help doctors to diagnose problems and diagnose them earlier."

Mrs Moody said: "Everyone is very excited about the machine because it is a revolution. "The main thing is that it doesn't use radiation to create the image and there are no known side-effects from using it.

"Patients who come in for a scan might be here for 30 or 40 minutes depending what kind of scan we are doing."

Mrs Goetzee, a former radiographer herself, agreed: "It is very relaxing in there, I would recommend it to anyone. I had earplugs in because when it is actually scanning it does make a noise and I did have an emergency button to press, although I didn't feel the need to call anyone."

Her husband, Arthur, a retired orthopaedic surgeon, said: "I think everyone involved should get a certificate, because without them this scanner would not be here. It's truly wonderful."

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