CHICAGO - An integrated RIS/PACS topped the list of new product introductions at GE Medical Systems at this week’s RSNA meeting. The Waukesha, WA, company is also highlighting new developments in CT, MRI, and digital mammography, as well as a unique "technology pavilion" that provides a roadmap of future GE technology.
Centricity combines GE's PACS and the ProgRIS radiology information system acquired by Per-Se Technologies into a single integrated system. GE has created a single user interface and back-end for Centricity, which will be available in the second half of 2002.
As an option to implementing a full Centricity RIS/PACS network, customers could choose instead to acquire the PACS or RIS modules separately, vice president of radiology systems Vishal Wanchoo told AuntMinnie.com. Centricity will be available through an application service provider (ASP) model, thanks to the vendor's relationship with Qwest Communications.
In CT, the company is highlighting a new 8-slice version of its LightSpeed multislice CT scanner. Called LightSpeed Ultra, the unit began shipping three months ago and now has been installed at 150 sites around the world. GE is also developing a 16-slice scanner that will probably be introduced next year, according to the company.
Visitors to the ultrasound part of GE's exhibit are taking in the vendor's new Logiq 9 and Logiq 7 ultrasound scanners. GE executives believe Logiq 9 and Logiq 7 are distinguished by what the firm calls TruScan architecture, an imaging platform that relies heavily on software. The result is an easily upgradeable system with strong computational and image manipulation capabilities, according to the vendor. GE also showcased 3-D scanners from its new Austrian subsidiary Kretztechnik.
The MRI section of the company’s booth is featuring Infinity, a new 1.5-tesla scanner. The company discussed the high homogeneity of the CXK4 magnet at the heart of the system, which supports consistent image quality in advanced applications like off-center field of view, large FOV fat saturation, and 3-D brain and prostate imaging, according to Dennis Cooke, general manager of global MR.
Another point of emphasis in MRI is Infinity’s TwinSpeed dual-gradient technology, which enables users to either conduct large FOV studies or zoom in to an area of interest without having to swap gradients. In the ultra-high-field realm, GE is highlighting the recent clearance the company received for whole-body applications on its 3-tesla magnet.
The company’s Discovery series of hybrid CT-PET systems is taking center stage in the nuclear medicine area of GE’s booth. The systems began shipping this year, and feature various configurations of CT scanners combined with PET systems. At the top end, Discovery LS combines a four-slice CT scanner with a high-end Advance NXi PET unit.
OEC FlexiView 8800 is a new mid-tier surgical C-arm being released by the company’s GE OEC Medical Systems unit. It features 1k x 1k resolution and a stationary anode, and is targeted at orthopedic, general fixation, and general surgical applications, according to Ruben Berumen, president and CEO of the subsidiary.
Also in x-ray, GE is showing new 3-D applications for its Advantx LCA+ angiography system. One such feature is the ability to fuse 3-D angiography images with MRI data, which enables radiologists to better understand blood flow. The technique is awaiting FDA clearance.
GE also is demonstrating work-in-progress developments in using a flat-panel digital detector for angiography studies. The panel would be similar to that used on the company’s Innova 2000 flat-panel cardiac system, but would have a larger 41 x 41 cm FOV rather than the 20 x 20 cm FOV used on Innova. In classical x-ray, Precision 500D is a new premium radiography/fluoroscopy system that features a 12-bit image intensifier.
In women’s health, GE and computer-aided detection partner R2 Technology of Los Altos, CA, have received FDA clearance for a version of R2’s CAD workstation that accepts data directly from GE’s Senographe 2000D full-field digital mammography system. Previously, R2’s ImageChecker M1000 computer only had clearance to process data from digitized analog mammography films. GE also is highlighting ongoing clinical work with Senographe 2000D.
The future of imaging is the focus of GE’s technology pavilion. Inside the area, GE is providing a sneak peak of technologies under development that are still years away from market. These include an MRI scanner with a patient bed that moves during data acquisition, ultrasound transducers with solid-state rather than piezo-electric elements, and volumetric CT scanning.
Outside of the realm of big iron, the company is highlighting its new Healthcare Services business. GE has aggregated many of the maintenance, consulting, and financing functions previously conducted in separate business units and melded them into a single organization. The goal is to provide life-cycle asset management services that help customers use their equipment more efficiently, according to Paul Mirabella, the GE veteran tapped to lead the division as president and CEO.
By Brian Casey and Erik L. Ridley
AuntMinnie.com staff writers
November 29, 2001
For the rest of our coverage of the 2001 RSNA meeting, go to our RADCast@RSNA 2001.
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