Hitachi Medical Systems America

(Booth 1144) This year, Hitachi Medical Systems America of Twinsburg, OH, will show its new Oasis open MRI scanner for the first time since receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for the product in September.

Oasis is a 1.2-tesla scanner with an open configuration designed to reduce patient claustrophobia. It is based on a vertical magnet field architecture, and uses what Hitachi calls HOAST -- additional channels of nonlinear higher-order shimming are added to complement the system's high static field homogeneity. The combination of HOAST and the boreless scanner's isocenter results in improved radiofrequency (RF) fat saturation, according to Hitachi.

Oasis also employs Hitachi's Zenith RF technology for higher signal-to-noise ratios. The volume solenoid Zenith RF coils use a multichannel design to take advantage of the standard eight-channel RF architecture, and support nearly all multiaxis parallel imaging techniques, according to the company.

Besides Oasis, Hitachi will highlight enhancements for other scanners in its product line, including a 16-channel RF configuration and new RF coils for its Echelon 1.5-tesla short-bore scanner. New clinical enhancements include further development of the company's RADAR all planes/all coils motion-compensated scanning sequence, and TIGRE fast fat-suppressed 3D gradient-echo sequence for abdominal and breast imaging.

The company will also introduce new enhancements to the Airis Elite, Airis II, and Altaire open MR platforms, targeted for release in 2008. The company said its customers with warranty or Ultra Plus support coverage will receive new software features promoting workflow, enhancing image quality, and expanding clinical capability.