MRI manufacturer Fonar took a step toward expanding its open MRI product line with news that the Food and Drug Administration has granted 510(k) clearance to Fonar-360, a magnet design that will serve as the platform for room-sized MRI scanners, according to the company. Fonar does not plan to sell Fonar-360 as a stand-alone product, but it will serve as the magnet design for future systems, such as the company's Open Sky MRI and OR-360 units.
The Melville, NY-based vendor is emphasizing the patient-friendly aspects of the 0.6-tesla Fonar-360, which is the first magnet using the firm’s no-post design. With this approach, there are no scanner structures between the patient and the walls of the scanner room, according to the company. Users have the option of decorating the entire MRI room with a panoramic view, adding to patient comfort, according to Fonar.
In the future, Fonar executives believe that Fonar-360 will be deployed for use in interventional applications, owing to the magnet design’s unrestricted access to the patient and ample room for an entire surgical team and its equipment.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
March 22, 2000
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