Siemens will highlight Magnetom Espree, an ultra-short-bore 1.5-tesla MRI system that the Malvern, PA, company introduced earlier in 2004. Siemens will also demonstrate recent advances on Magnetom Avanto, a 1.5-tesla scanner introduced at last year's RSNA show.
Espree is based on a cylindrical superconducting magnet with a bore that's 70 cm wide and just 125 cm long. The design provides 30 cm of headroom above the patient's head, enabling what Siemens is calling "open-bore" imaging at the 1.5 tesla field strength.
The magnet design is suitable for patient populations that have been difficult to image with cylindrical magnets that have longer bores, such as claustrophobic, obese, and elderly patients, as well as children. The company said that 60% of all routine MRI exams can be completed with the patient's head outside the bore.
Espree supports Tim (Total imaging matrix), the company's surface-coil design that enables users to plug up to 10 gradient coils into the patient table before the exam starts. Tim eliminates the need to remove the patient from the magnet to swap new coils in and out. Espree is available in 32 x 8 or 76 x 18 gradient configurations. Espree began shipping in the U.S. in October 2004.
Siemens will also demonstrate recent enhancements to Magnetom Avanto, the company's flagship MRI scanner that was introduced at the 2003 RSNA conference. Avanto features iPAT (integrated parallel acquisition technique) for fast image acquisition and parallel imaging in all dimensions, according to the company. Like Espree, Avanto also uses the Tim surface-coil architecture.
By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 15, 2004
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