Philips installs its Panorama 0.6T system at two more U.S. sites

Philips Medical Systems recently completed additional U.S. installations of its Panorama open 0.6 Tesla MR scanner.

The Panorama 0.6T, which features a C-arm design for enhanced patient access and comfort, was installed at X-Ray Associates in Johnston, R.I., and Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. In total, 12 U.S. installations have been completed. X-Ray Associates uses the system in an orthopedic imaging center setting, whereas Ochsner operates the system in a large regional hospital environment.

The Panorama 0.6T also has a side-first entry and wide patient opening to help ease the anxiety of claustrophobic, pediatric, elderly and obese patients. The system also has Philips SENSE (SENSitivity Encoding) technology to shorten exam times, reduce the need for breath holds and increases patient throughput.

Additional U.S. installations are planned for the coming months. Philips has installed four Panorama 0.6T systems in Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.

Around the web

Positron, a New York-based nuclear imaging company, will now provide Upbeat Cardiology Solutions with advanced PET/CT systems and services. 

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.