Like Shirley Oaks, the Swindon Centre is part of BMI Healthcare. MedTel opened a specialist radiology centre here in 1999 featuring an Open MRI scanner. Unlike many other MRI machines it is completely open on three sides with no enclosed tunnels. This non-threatening environment makes it the ideal system for children.
Open MRI has no tunnel and so can accommodate larger patients or those with claustrophobia. It is also excellent for sports injuries because the joints being examined can be scanned in any required position - joint motion studies are not possible in tunnel type machines. This MRI is also the technology of choice for the identification and diagnosis of a wide range of head injuries and neurological disorders where easy access to patients during the scanning procedure is an advantage
