VIENNA - Canon Medical Systems is making its first appearance at ECR 2018 under a unified banner since Canon took over Toshiba Medical Systems. The firm has a full slate of product launches, including Vantage Orian, a new 1.5-tesla MRI scanner.
Vantage Orian is one of Canon's first product releases since changing its company name from Toshiba Medical in January, and it represents the company's foray into the premium, wide-bore 1.5-tesla MRI market. Vantage Orian joins Canon's current 1.5-tesla lineup, which includes its wide-bore Vantage Titan and standard-bore Vantage Elan.
Canon unveiled Vantage Orian on the technical exhibit's opening day.Vantage Orian features a 71-cm bore, as well as a gradient with a maximum amplitude of 45 mT/m and a slew rate of 200 T/m/sec. It also includes rapid scan technology, a redesigned gantry interface and dockable table, and new applications such as Multiband Speeder, which shortens acquisitions for high angular resolution diffusion imaging, according to firm.
Canon is also introducing five new ultrasound scanners being seen for the first time at ECR 2018. Aplio a450 and Aplio a550 are two midrange, multipurpose scanners that will occupy a price point below the company's Aplio i-series but still include a number of technologies from the more expensive platform. The systems are designed for radiology, cardiology, women's health, and musculoskeletal applications.
Aplio a550 is the higher-end system, while Aplio a450 is a more compact unit. Both include Canon's Beam technology for high-definition images, enhanced penetration, and fewer artifacts. The Aplio a-series offers a wide range of advanced clinical applications combined with iSense ergonomics, according to the company. The scanners will begin shipping in April.
Viamo sv7 marks Canon's entry into the point-of-care ultrasound market.Also at ECR 2018, Canon is introducing its new Xario g-series ultrasound systems, Xario 200g and Xario 100g. The scanners can operate on battery power with up to eight hours of battery life in full operation mode, and they include a standby feature and wireless connection to printers and ECG devices. Both g-series scanners are shipping now.
Canon is also showing Viamo sv7, a tablet-based ultrasound scanner that currently supports convex and linear transducers, with plans for a wireless probe in the near future. The company plans to begin shipping Viamo sv7 in the summer.
Prior to the Toshiba acquisition, Canon was a major player in the digital radiography (DR) space, and it continues to make investments in technology. At ECR, Canon is showing Aceso and Aceso+, a radiography room outfitted with Canon DR panels.
Aceso has a semiautomated, ceiling-suspended x-ray tube, while Aceso+ is the fully automated version of the system. Both products include a wall bucky and support all of Canon's DR detector sizes, including its wireless panels. Both are currently shipping.
In CT, Canon highlighted the Aquilion Precision high-resolution scanner introduced at RSNA 2017. The vendor is touting the 0.25-mm detectors for improved spatial resolution, enabling scanning at matrices up to 2048 x 2048.
Neither Canon nor Toshiba was a player in the mammography market, but at this year's congress, Canon is showing Artemis, a 2D/3D mammography system that the company has sourced on an OEM basis. Canon intends to sell the system only in the European market.
