HOSPITAL bosses and patients today praised a state-of-the-art scanner unit that has been officially opened at Burnley General Hospital.

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner can be used to diagnose a range of conditions, including life-threatening diseases such as cancer and cut journey times for patients.

At the official opening of the £1.3million facility yesterday, David Chew, former chief executive of Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "The one (scanner) at Blackburn has been a wonderful boost for the health service in East Lancashire. It has provided new opportunities and investigations in the fight against diseases.

"Demand has built up tremendously in the five or six years it has been open and that has been marvellous to see. This new machine will have a number of benefits and with the growing demand it gives some slack to the system for patients to be seen earlier."

Adrian Dempsey, of Horney Crescent, Burnley, was referred for a scan at Burnley General Hospital after seeing his GP last November. He underwent the test prior to yesterday's opening ceremony.

Adrian, 37, said: "I keep getting twinging pains in my right knee and if I kneel I get pains. It has been suggested it is down to too much football over the years and that there might be a problem with the cartilage.

"I didn't know what to expect from the scan but it wasn't too uncomfortable. The best part was that the hospital is only 100 yards from my house - previously I would have had to travel to Blackburn."

The MRI scanner uses a strong magnetic field to align hydrogen atoms in the body. When the magnetic field is switched off, the atoms relax. Chris Kasap, superintendent radiographer, said: "Different tissues relax back at different rates so we can tell which tissue is diseased."

The equipment then produces a series of images which instead of showing a singular image, as with an X-ray, shows more than 50 'slices' of the scanned area. These are analysed by radiologists who put together a report for the patient's specialist.

It can be used for a wide variety of conditions, including neck, shoulder and spinal problems, as well as assessing the spread and extent of a range of tumours.

The scanner was paid for through the New Opportunities Fund, a Government initiative that uses National Lottery money to purchase new technology for diagnosis.

Development of the unit which houses the equipment was funded by Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority.

It was opened for use last month and has served around 180 people so far. It is expected 2,000 examinations will be carried out each year.