Top scanner for Vic children's hospital

A new nine-tonne imaging machine worth $6 million has been installed at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

The Magnetic Resonance Positron Emission Tomography machine, or MR-PET, was funded by the Good Friday Appeal and selected after a rigorous, international tender process, The Royal Children's Hospital says.

And it's the first children's hospital in the southern hemisphere to get one.

The machine combines PET and MRI technology into one piece of equipment, meaning fewer scans for patients.

"For our young patients, some of whom require sedation and even general anaesthetic to undergo these important but intimidating procedures, the MR-PET will means fewer scans, and therefore a more positive experience," Neurologist Dr Simon Harvey said.

The MR-PET was transported to the RCH on a semi-trailer on Saturday and manoeuvred into its new, purpose-built, copper-lined lab in the Medical Imaging Department by a 20-tonne forklift and a team of eight people.