Debrecen4U May 29, 2026

Debrecen Paediatric Clinic Receives New MRI Scanner

One of the most advanced tools in radiological diagnostics will now support the treatment of children at the University of Debrecen’s Paediatric Clinic. With the installation of the new MRI scanner, the imaging diagnostic system of the Paediatric Emergency Centre has become fully comprehensive: alongside ultrasound, X-ray and CT imaging, MRI examinations are now also available on-site.

Thanks to the design of the equipment, examinations for children will become significantly easier. The imaging process is supported by artificial intelligence, which considerably speeds up both examinations and the overall workflow. In many cases, children under the age of eight must undergo MRI scans under anaesthesia. “We can see that MRI systems designed with these technologies are becoming so fast that that the images are free from motion artifacts, so the proportion of cases where children no longer need to be sedated is increasing,” said Ervin Berényi, Director of the Medical Imaging Clinic at the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen.

When establishing the Paediatric Emergency Centre, a conscious goal was not only to create a unit providing emergency and trauma care, but also a comprehensive centre incorporating paediatric radiology and anaesthesiology. The Paediatric Clinic is the largest paediatric healthcare centre outside Budapest, treating more than 17,000 inpatients and 95,000 outpatients annually. “This device will be suitable for examining various central nervous system conditions, as well as abdominal, thoracic, pelvic, musculoskeletal and spinal problems. Therefore, in addition to the current annual 400–450 MRI examinations, we will likely be able to carry out even more. This will be an excellent opportunity not only for the city but for the entire region,” summarised Tamás Szabó, Director of the Paediatric Clinic at the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen.

According to specialists, no similarly comprehensive paediatric emergency institution has previously been established in Hungary where emergency care, surgery and imaging diagnostics are all available in one location. The centre was created as part of a national development programme, with the University of Debrecen playing a significant role in developing the imaging department. “A uniquely compact unit has been created. It is certainly unique outside Budapest, and this represents a major sense of security for society, because ultimately our children are the most important,” highlighted Zoltán Bács, Rector of the University of Debrecen.

Five years ago, a development process began at the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen aimed at creating a more unified and efficient patient care system. “The goal was to further improve the quality of patient care, optimise patient pathways and eliminate parallel systems. Throughout this process, several clinical units with central roles were established. The Paediatric Emergency Centre is one such highly significant innovation and one of the major achievements of recent years,” emphasised Zoltán Szabó, President of the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen.

In addition to paediatric healthcare, the new imaging equipment will also be used in adult oncology diagnostics.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu