GE is planning to introduce a new family of CT scanners, called BrightSpeed, designed to target the large number of hospitals still using single-slice CT technology, according to the Chalfont St. Giles, U.K., company. The company is also planning new CT product introductions in the areas of lung nodule visualization and radiation oncology.
The BrightSpeed family will be based on the company's 64-slice LightSpeed VCT platform, and will come in four-, eight-, and 16-slice configurations. The target market for the systems will be community hospitals and outpatient imaging centers.
BrightSpeed scanners can be installed in the same-sized footprint as a single-slice scanner, but have the same image quality and productivity capabilities of GE's flagship LightSpeed systems. BrightSpeed scanners also have GE's Volara digital data acquisition system (DAS) and the vendor's Xtream FX workflow platform. The scanners have received FDA clearance.
In radiation oncology, GE will introduce a 16-slice wide-bore CT scanner designed for bariatric, radiation oncology, and interventional applications. The system will carry the company's most powerful x-ray tube and will be able to lift and scan a 650-lb patient. GE has made a special emphasis on accuracy of table movement for large patients, a key feature in radiation therapy planning procedures.
On the software side, GE will showcase Lung VCAR, an application that can visualize, isolate, and quantitatively analyze lung nodules over time. The vendor believes the software will make it easier and more accurate to analyze lung nodules than manual techniques, leading to better patient management.
Finally, GE will introduce an advanced CT fluoroscopy application called Smart View. Designed for multislice scanners, the technique will provide clinicians with CT fluoro acquisition at 12 frames per second (fps) and an extremely short latency rate. GE believes that Smart View will provide better control of needle placement during interventional procedures.
By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 4, 2005
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