GE Medical Systems of Waukesha, WI, has received 510(k) clearance for a new CT scanner, CT/e. Although the entry-level system is targeted primarily at the international market, the FDA clearance will enable GE to sell the product in the U.S. as a backup or clinic-based scanner.
Introduced at last year's RSNA meeting in Chicago, CT/e is notable for its use of GE's HiLight rare-earth detectors, rather than the less expensive xenon gas detectors usually employed in entry-level scanners. CT/e is a single-slice spiral scanner with rotation speeds of 1-5 seconds. The unit also features a 24-kW generator and a two-million-heat-unit x-ray tube, according to Bill Radaj, Americas marketing manager for CT.
GE has already begun shipping the device to international markets, and the company believes the scanner will do particularly well in regions such as China and Latin America, where its list price of $375,000 will be attractive. The scanner is assembled in China, where GE operates a CT joint-venture company with a Chinese manufacturing firm.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersJanuary 26, 2000
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