FDA clears GE's updated cardiac CT

GE Healthcare has received FDA 510(k) clearance of its new cardiac imaging platform, the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom Edition.

Based on FREEdom technologies (Fast Registered Energies & ECG), the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom Edition is a three-prong technology, including: Motion FREEdom, with motion correction via SnapShot Freeze; Calcium FREEdom, with coronary visualization using Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) Cardiac; and Horizon FREE opportunities, which provides plaque material composition assessment and perfusion calculations, the company said in its press release. 

GE said that the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom Edition also merges GE’s SnapShot Pulse technology with GSI’s kV switching, allowing for a registered spectral CT dataset. And Calcium FREEdom means that coronary images with calcium suppression are possible for patients with high calcium burden.

The HD FREEdom Edition’s first U.S. installation was at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. HD FREEdom’s installation at UW follows around two dozen installations in Europe and Japan where physicians currently use SnapShot Freeze and GSI Cardiac in practice for coronary evaluation, and in plaque composition and myocardial perfusion assessment.





Around the web

The new technology shows early potential to make a significant impact on imaging workflows and patient care. 

Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.
 

The two companies aim to improve patient access to high-quality MRI scans by combining their artificial intelligence capabilities.