A new state-of-the-art scanner which can alter images of the body is on its way to Basildon Hospital, it was today revealed.

The hi-tech machine will cost £440,000 to buy and install.

Its arrival comes hot on the heels of an announcement that a £1 million MRI scanner is also on its way to the hospital - thanks to national lottery cash.

The latest machine - called a Digital Subtraction Imaging Scanner - allows doctors and radiographers to alter images the scanner produces on its screen.

Technology means they are able to "remove" organs and body parts they have no interest in to get a clearer view of the area they want to closely examine.

This technique is particularly valuable in vascular radiology where veins and arteries are being checked.

The scanner is also good news for patients with blocked arteries.

They would normally have faced surgery for their condition but will now be able to have their arteries cleared by an image-guided tube.

The decision to buy the machine was made by Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust last month.

It plans to spend more than £900,000 on new medical equipment, bringing the total invested since 1992 to well over £3 million.

Vic Griffiths, imaging general manager for the trust, said: "The acquisition of these two machines, together with other recent purchases, will equip the imaging department at Basildon Hospital with the means to provide an ever wider range of examinations.

"This will mean speedier diagnosis and treatment for patients."

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