CHICAGO - Multimodality vendor GE Healthcare is launching new MRI, CT, and x-ray product lines at this week's RSNA show. Other new introductions from the Chalfont St. Giles, U.K. company include an update of its full-field digital mammography platform, a new four-slice SPECT/CT system, and upgrades for its ultrasound product line.
MRI
GE added three new scanners to its line of high-field systems, which now includes five products according to John Chiminski, vice president and general manager of the company's global MR business. Signa HDx 1.5T is a step up from the company's Signa HD system and is now GE's flagship magnet in the 1.5-tesla segment.
Signa HDx includes a new volume reconstruction engine as well as GEM, a new parallel imaging technique. The system supports 32-channel imaging and runs new XV versions of GE's advanced imaging applications, like PROPELLER, VIBRANT, LAVA, and TRICKS.
GE discussed a new 29-element head, neck, and spine coil for Signa HDx that the company hopes will make MRI centers more productive by reducing the number of coil changes that have to be performed during neurovascular studies. The coil eliminates the need to use three separate coils and also supports high-speed parallel imaging techniques. The coil should be in full production in the second quarter of 2006, Chiminski said.
Signa HDx 3.0T is the company's newest offering in the hot 3-tesla market segment. Like the 1.5-tesla HDx system, the 3-tesla version supports the new XV family of applications.
Signa HDe is an economical 1.5-tesla scanner designed to give smaller healthcare facilities and those in the international market the chance to acquire high-field technology for $1 million, Chiminski said. In designing the system, GE eliminated the need for a separate equipment room, meaning the unit can be installed in a room previously used for a lower-field MRI scanner or even a radiography/fluoroscopy system. Installation can be as quick as five to seven days, and the system's water-cooled designed translates into lower operating costs.
CT
BrightSpeed is a new family of CT scanners being introduced at the show. The systems are designed to be a more economical alternative to GE's flagship LightSpeed line, and are targeted at facilities making the jump from a single-slice unit to a multidetector-row system, according to Brian Duchinsky, general manager of global CT.
The BrightSpeed scanners come in four-, eight-, and 16-slice configurations, and include much of the same technology used in the LightSpeed line, such as the Xtream FX data pipeline and Volara data acquisition system, Duchinsky said. The company focused on ergonomics in designing the system, such as by incorporating a console at which operators can either stand or sit, and using a two-LCD monitor design for increased flexibility.
The first BrightSpeed installation occurred in early November, and regular commercial shipments will begin in the next three months. The systems will carry the same pricing as comparable LightSpeed units, Duchinsky said.
GE is also discussing advanced clinical applications for its CT products, in particular its flagship LightSpeed VCT 64-slice CT system. CardIQ Express is designed to make cardiac CT angiography easier to perform by offering new viewing layouts and protocols that can be stored and pulled up each time a radiologist sits down to view a study. One user has found that the application can increase his throughput of cardiac CT cases to 10-15 studies an hour, Duchinsky said.
The application includes features like automated 3D angio view, which replicates the type of view seen in a conventional cardiac cath study, and 3D ejection fraction calculation. The software is scheduled to begin shipping this quarter and will be available on GE's Advantage Windows Workstation or the CT scanner console.
GE is also demonstrating real-time CT fluoroscopy, which is now available for clinical use. The application supports frame rates of 12 frames per second in a single-pane view and 8 fps for views with four image panes.
Another new class of applications is called volume computer-assisted reading, or VCAR. The software automatically finds, segments, and measures pathologies to help radiologists make diagnoses. Lung VCAR is the first application in the family, and is designed to help physicians detect small lung nodules that might otherwise go undetected.
Finally, LightSpeed Xtra represents the expansion of GE's large-bore concept from radiation oncology to bariatrics and interventional CT studies. The 16-slice system features an 80-cm bore, 100 kW x-ray tube, and table that supports patients weighing as much as 650 lb. The system is shown as a work-in-progress.
X-ray
GE is rolling out its Definium line of digital x-ray systems at the show, headlined by its premium 8000 fixed-room unit. Definium's digital flat-panel detector features a detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of 77%, according to the firm.
The system also includes Auto Image Paste, an application that allows physicians to generate a single head-to-toe view without any visible seam lines, according to David Widmann, general manager of the company's radiography and radiography/fluoroscopy business. Up to five image acquisitions can be acquired, with the system automatically moving between acquisitions.
The 8000 system connects to HIS, RIS, or PACS networks, and the user interface for the system's autopositioning overhead tube suspension includes a touch-screen user interface, motorized five-axis movements, and a 90° rotating screen, GE said.
Another 8000 feature, Volume Rad, provides physicians with multiple high-resolution slice images of the human anatomy, according to GE. It acquires a series of low-dose projection images during a single sweep of the x-ray tube over a limited angle; a computer then assembles the information to provide slice images that can be reviewed by the radiologist at a computer workstation.
The 8000 unit is available in configurations ranging from a single wall stand to a full comprehensive radiographic room.
Another new Definium addition, AMX 700, is a portable DR system. It features a 16 x 16-inch field-of-view, a new digital touch-screen display, and digital microprocessor controls to ensure accurate and consistent studies, and a 0.75-mm focal spot tube, GE said.
OEC Altitude is a new ceiling-suspended fluoroscopy system designed for the vascular surgery market. The system includes motion-tolerant subtraction (MTS), a GE application that compensates for patient movement, enabling surgeons to capture images without the need for a mask run. GE is also touting the system's small footprint, ability to accept either a 12- or 16-inch image intensifier, and "cybergrip" control stick that enables one-handed operation of both the C-arm and image intensifier.
Innova IQ is a new group of enhancements for the company's Innova family of cardiovascular imaging systems, including the 2100, 3100, and 4100 products. Meanwhile, Innova CT is a new application for the Innova 4100 and 3100 cardiovascular systems that produces CT-like 3D images.
Women's imaging
Senographe Essential represents an update of GE's Senographe DS full-field digital mammography (FFDM) platform, according to Vincent Polkus, mammography advanced applications product manager. Shown as a work-in-progress, Essential features a larger 24 x 30.7-cm flat-panel digital detector, designed to enable facilities to image women with larger breasts. The Senographe DS has a 19 x 23-cm detector.
GE has also made subtle changes to Senographe Essential's amorphous silicon detector technology, such as better detective quantum efficiency (DQE), which is expected to be a benefit for low-dose applications like tomosynthesis, Polkus said. The new platform should begin shipping in the first or second quarter of 2006, and GE will keep Senographe DS in its product family.
GE has also improved the usability of its mammography workstation technology with the Seno Advantage 2.0 software release. The 2.0 version includes changes like enabling mammographers to use GE's Premium View and tissue equalization modes as their first and only image review options, Polkus said.
On the bone densitometry side, GE is touting its new iDXA densitometer, which was launched in October.
Molecular imaging
GE is highlighting the Discovery VCT 64-slice PET/CT scanner, first shown as a work-in-progress at the 2004 RSNA meeting. The system uses a new detector geometry that results in higher spatial resolution and count rates, according to Karthik Kuppusamy, general manager for GE's Americas nuclear medicine, PET/CT, and cyclotron business.
The company is touting the various upgrade paths available for users of other GE technology to get to 64-slice PET/CT, Kuppusamy said. Owners of LightSpeed VCT scanners can upgrade to the system, while users of Discovery ST systems, which have fewer slice counts, can also upgrade to the top-of-the-line model. The first clinical units will be installed at the end of the first quarter of 2006, with commercial shipments in the fourth quarter of next year.
In the SPECT market, GE is rolling out a four-slice version of its Infinia Hawkeye SPECT/CT unit, which previously was only available in a single-slice configuration. The additional slices should help users better cope with motion artifacts, according to Ian Brown, Americas sales and marketing manager for nuclear medicine products. Evaluation units will begin shipping in the first quarter.
On the software side, GE is showing two new applications: Evolution for Bone, a wide-beam reconstruction algorithm designed to either improve resolution or speed up imaging times in bone scintigraphy studies, and Xpress.cardiac, for cardiac studies. Both applications run on GE's Xeleris workstation, used on all the company's Infinia gamma cameras, and are currently shipping, Brown said.
PETtrace 10 is a new version of the company's cyclotron platform that boosts the system's yield to 10 curies of fluorine-18 in two hours, according to Jim Mitchell, global radiopharmacy general manager. Meanwhile, External Beam Line technology is a research technique designed to enable PETtrace users to develop new PET radiotracers more quickly. FASTlab is GE's newest PET tracer synthesis system, and is scheduled to begin shipping in late 2006.
Ultrasound
GE is emphasizing its Volume Imaging Protocol (VIP) platform, available on its Logiq 9 and Logiq 7 scanners. VIP uses quick data sweeps with the transducer to acquire volume datasets, allowing for reconstruction and offline review after the exam, said Terri Bresenham, vice president and general manager of GE's diagnostic ultrasound and IT business.
GE's LogiqWorks workstation creates volumetric and multidimensional images in real-time. VIP also includes a Virtual Rescan capability, allowing radiologists to perform a virtual rescan with new protocols and in a 3D planar view after the patient has left, she said.
GE is also showing enhancements to its Voluson 730 scanner, including Tomographic Ultrasound Imaging (TUI). TUI allows for simultaneous display of up to nine parallel slices of an ultrasound volume dataset on one display, according to the vendor.
It also provides clinicians with more information from the volume dataset, in both static 3D and real-time 4D views, GE said. The firm has also incorporated Speckle Reduction Imaging II (SRI II), which employs adaptive, real-time software algorithms to reduce speckle. GE's Spatio-Temporal Image Correlation (STIC) technology captures a full fetal heart cycle beating in real-time and displays endless-loop volume cine for a clinician's review, according to the firm.
In ultrasound image management developments, GE is showing LogiqWorks FX, a workstation that adds integration into the vendor's Centricity PACS network.
IT
GE is spotlighting Centricity Radiology Business Intelligence Portal, a dashboard application that gives administrators real-time access to information on exam statuses, patient wait times, department performance, and equipment utilization and status. Users can also access the portal remotely.
The portal is part of version 3.0 of its Centricity PACS package. Version 3.0 also includes support for open standards, according to Tom Riesenberg, GE's global general manager of imaging. The vendor has added support for new IHE profiles, such as key image note, PGP, and grayscale presentation state.
GE has also targeted workflow and clinical tool enhancements, including the addition of voice clips. The clips can be integrated with the vendor's Exam Notes functionality, Riesenberg said.
Other features include voice command capabilities. Version 3.0 is targeted for release in the second quarter of 2006, he said.
GE is also emphasizing a theme of bringing its PACS technology to smaller-scale markets, led by its Centricity SE PACS program. GE is discussing its presence in the global PACS market as well, said Vishal Wanchoo, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Information Technologies.
In other demonstrations, GE is touting its ergonomic capabilities, as well a work-in-progress image viewing application for the operating room that can be controlled with a motion sensor and voice control.
In Advantage Workstation (AW) developments, GE is presenting AW Volume
Share. Volume Share is an integrated visualization and analysis package, including DirectConnect, Search Advantage, and FilterViews.
DirectConnect allows clinicians to postprocess data on acquisition systems without having to perform data transfers, according to the firm. AW VolumeShare is available with shared licenses.
Finally, GE is also debuting AW RemoteAccess, which allows users to apply AW functionality anywhere via a PC or laptop computer. RemoteAccess includes two modes: Remote Review and Virtual AW.
In Remote Review, multiple users can simultaneously access one host AW, performing interactive maximum intensity projection/multiplanar reformatting (MIP/MPR), GE said. They can choose from 3D review, MPR, real-time rotations, region of interest (ROI), as well as distance and angle measurements, according to the firm.
Virtual AW mode enables remote users to "drive" the host AW remotely, accessing any of the workstation's specialty applications and features on any of the images in the AW database, GE said. Multiple users can be online at the same time.
By Brian Casey and Erik L. Ridley
AuntMinnie.com staff writers
November 28, 2005
Copyright © 2005 AuntMinnie.com
