GE Healthcare has acquired the assets of Steady State Imaging (SSI), a Minneapolis-based company that develops MRI technology.
With the deal, GE gains access to technology developed at the University of Minnesota and licensed to SSI for visualizing tendons, ligaments, and other tissues not usually visualized with conventional imaging methods, according to GE. The technology, called Swift, also has potential applications for areas near the lungs and other parts of the body where conventional MRI isn't effective, the company said.
Swift differs from conventional MRI in that there is no "echo time" between excitation and acquisition events, making the technique less sensitive to motion and flow artifacts. Swift is also more tolerant to static magnetic field inhomogeneity, according to SSI's website.
