Hitachi Medical Systems America

Oct 31, 2006

This Twinsburg, OH, company will demonstrate enhancements to its line of MRI scanners, ranging from the 1.5-tesla Echelon system to the Altaire, Airis Elite, and Airis II scanners.

Introduced at the 2005 RSNA show, Echelon is a short, wide-bore scanner that includes an eight-channel radiofrequency (RF) system, Vertex computer, gradients rated at 30 milliTesla per meter (mT/m) maximum amplitude and slew rates of 150 mT/m/msec, higher-order active shimming, multiple RF coil connection points, and a range of high-performance RF coils with parallel imaging capability, according to the company. Clinical applications include vascular techniques like time-resolved (TRAQ) MR angiography and radial techniques for patient motion compensation.

Echelon's latest software package enables Hitachi's Radar parallel imaging technology, a non-Cartesian k-space filling technique that reduces patient motion artifacts. Echelon also now features a five-channel shoulder coil designed by Hitachi that provides coverage and uniformity in conventional and Rapid applications.

The Altaire, Airis Elite, and Airis II scanners will be demonstrated with the latest version of Hitachi's Ascent operating software, version 5.1. The new version includes new pulse sequences and data management features, including expansion of fast spin-echo imaging capabilities and DICOM enhancements. The software is being offered at no charge for Hitachi customers with warranty or Ultra Plus coverage.

The Altaire 0.7-tesla scanner will be shown with CardioSuite, a new cardiac imaging capability, and Hitachi will show images from clinical installations. The package includes new pulse sequences and new data management features, including expansion of fast spin-echo imaging capabilities and DICOM enhancements. Other features include multislice/multiphase gating, I-scan interactive scan control, navigator echo-free breathing acquisition, double/triple inversion-recovery black-blood sequences, a delayed enhancement sequence, and the Medis Mass cardiac function analysis software.

The Ascent 5.1 upgrade is now enabling Hitachi to offer a parallel imaging-enabled multichannel body coil. In addition to functioning in conventional mode, the coil enables shorter breath-holds for enhanced abdominal imaging and increased temporal resolution for Altaire's cardiac imaging capability.

By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 1, 2006