1994: MRI equipment first used
Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment was first used at The RCH.
The introduction of MRI equipment allowed images to be made in a fraction of a second, diminishing the number of children requiring sedation or general anaesthetics and giving much better images of rapidly moving structures such as hearts.
1995: RCH and RWH merge as the “Women’s and Children’s Health Care Network”
As part of an overall Victorian government strategy, The RCH and RWH merge as the “Women’s and Children’s Health Care Network”.
1995: First liver transplant
The paediatric liver transplant service is a division of the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit – a collaboration between the RCH and Austin Health. Patients are predominately from Victoria and Tasmania, but the service has extended its care to patients from other parts of the country.
Liver transplant is the only treatment available for children with irretrievable acute liver failure or chronic end-stage liver disease, certain metabolic diseases and some liver cancers.
The first liver transplant performed at the RCH was conducted in 1995. At the time, 11-month-old Jordyn Griffin was the youngest person to receive a liver transplant in Australia.
1995: Hugh Williamson Gait Laboratory opens
The Hugh Williamson Gait Laboratory opens in June, fully philanthropically funded by the Hugh Williamson Foundation in its first year. It has gone on to become a world leader in the analysis of walking disorders in children.