GE displays new 1.5T MR with cardiac MR applications
GE Healthcare showcased its Discovery MR450, a 1.5T MRI platform, during the 94th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.
The 60-cm bore scanner has a detachable table that can accommodate patients as heavy as 500 pounds. It could offer advanced application development, for such procedures as a routine liver exam in 15 minutes versus the typical 40-minute exam and a full breast exam in two sequences, according to the company. It also is capable of real-time cardiac imaging, single-acquisition multi-contrast abdominal images and high resolution musculoskeletal exams.
GE said that the detachable table improves the patient experience with less time spent in the scanner and reduces patient anxiety by allowing for preparation outside of the MR room, so patients can ask questions and become comfortable prior to their scan. “The prep time can be reduced by up to 70 percent,” Chris Fitzpatrick, MR marketing programs manager, global diagnostic imaging, told Health Imaging News. Applications stretch to breast imaging as well, GE said.
In addition, the newly designed digital receiver extends the dynamic range by four times compared to previous 1.5T systems and on-board optical data architecture is isolated from external noise to boost the signal-to-noise ratio by up to 27 more than conventional non-optical receivers, the company said.
The Discovery MR450 features a new parallel imaging technique, ARC, which was first introduced on the Discovery MR750 3T platform. It inspires a broader use of parallel imaging by eliminating errors from patient motion or breath-hold failures, and is also optimized for tight field-of-view prescriptions, according to GE.
Other new advanced applications include:
The 60-cm bore scanner has a detachable table that can accommodate patients as heavy as 500 pounds. It could offer advanced application development, for such procedures as a routine liver exam in 15 minutes versus the typical 40-minute exam and a full breast exam in two sequences, according to the company. It also is capable of real-time cardiac imaging, single-acquisition multi-contrast abdominal images and high resolution musculoskeletal exams.
GE said that the detachable table improves the patient experience with less time spent in the scanner and reduces patient anxiety by allowing for preparation outside of the MR room, so patients can ask questions and become comfortable prior to their scan. “The prep time can be reduced by up to 70 percent,” Chris Fitzpatrick, MR marketing programs manager, global diagnostic imaging, told Health Imaging News. Applications stretch to breast imaging as well, GE said.
In addition, the newly designed digital receiver extends the dynamic range by four times compared to previous 1.5T systems and on-board optical data architecture is isolated from external noise to boost the signal-to-noise ratio by up to 27 more than conventional non-optical receivers, the company said.
The Discovery MR450 features a new parallel imaging technique, ARC, which was first introduced on the Discovery MR750 3T platform. It inspires a broader use of parallel imaging by eliminating errors from patient motion or breath-hold failures, and is also optimized for tight field-of-view prescriptions, according to GE.
Other new advanced applications include:
- SWAN (T2 Star Weighted Angiography) –which combines a 3D T2*-based multi-echo acquisition with a special reconstruction algorithm to generate several echoes, which are read out at different TE times, and compile magnetic signatures of a range of tissues with varying degrees of T2* contrast. With SWAN, users can visualize major vessels and large vascular structures and reproducibly image and accurately delineate small vessels and microbleeds.
- Inhance – The new suite of Inhance non-contrast enhanced MR angiography applications used to deliver consistent, reproducible images, for fewer rescans and confident differential diagnoses.