A new method of scanning children's livers for tumours could prevent them from being exposed to radiation, according to doctors in London, BBC reports. The findings were presented in the European Journal of Ultrasound.

Children are more vulnerable to radiation, which can increase the odds of them developing cancer later in life.

The team at King's College Hospital are trialling a scan that turns organs into a "field of gold" to find tumours.

Nodules or lesions on the liver can be detected when children with liver disease or fatty livers have an ultrasound scan.

However, these could be malignant tumours that need treating or benign growths that can be ignored.

A CT scan can tell the difference, but this exposes the patient to X-ray radiation.

The team at the hospital is testing an upgraded version of ultrasound, which has been used in adults for a decade but not yet in children.

A harmless chemical, injected into the arm, forms temporary microscopic bubbles in the bloodstream.

In a trial on 44 children with chronic liver problems, the test was able to accurately diagnose patients.