GE Healthcare Collaborates with Researchers, Scientists to Advance “Future Focused, Patient Centered” MR Vision at ISMRM
GE Healthcare to honor more than 50 thought-leaders for their contributions to 15 MR innovations in five years; pushing limits of MR to deliver better healthcare for more people
Montreal, Canada – May 7 , 2011—Focusing on improving the patient experience and pushing the limits of what MR can do, GE Healthcare will be showcasing new developments, presenting scientific papers at plenary sessions, and hosting luminaries at symposia and user groups at the 19th annual International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM). Over years of strong collaborations with the visionaries of ISMRM, GE Healthcare has helped to turn research into clinical reality for scientists and patients alike.
“MR is entering an era of unprecedented exploration as this young technology addresses today’s clinical needs and provides pathways to future discoveries,” said Jim Davis, vice president and general manager, GE Healthcare Global MR business. “Engaging with clinical thought-leaders at ISMRM is critical to executing on our vision for the development of the next generation of MR products. We continue to invest in, research and develop new technology that will not only benefit the research and clinical communities, but ultimately will facilitate better health to more people.”
Patient Centered Products
GE Healthcare is showcasing the Discovery* MR 750w wide bore 3.0T system. The system will feature a new design and a new, compact superconducting 3.0T magnet with zero-boil off technology and active shielding. The light-weight design will provide excellent homogeneity ensuring uniform signal and fat-suppression over a large FOV. The scanner will feature a 70cm diameter x 130cm length patient bore with dual-flared 78cm aperture openings; large 50 x 50 x 50 cm FOV volume; off-center FOV with Fat Saturation techniques; 44 mT/m amplitude and 200 T/m/s maximum slew rate eXtreme gradients; ART noise reduction technologies and RF Multi Drive technology for excellent RF homogeneity and signal homogeneity regardless of patient shape, size or body habitus. The system will be available with and without the GEM Suite. The Discovery MR750w wide bore 3.0T system is pending US FDA 510(k) and Health Canada clearance and is not available for sale in the US or Canada; the system is not CE marked and cannot be put into service until it has been made to comply with CE Marking.
GE Healthcare’s PET/CT + MR imaging platform is designed to help clinicians accurately capture multi-modality images and correlate information from PET, CT and MRI imaging technologies. According to research partners and clinicians, a PET/CT+MR system offers uncompromised image quality to help enable better clinical outcomes while pushing the envelope of research. During these difficult economic times, customers also want a fiscally responsible solution that will offer a long lifecycle and upgradeability, and allow efficient use of high value assets for routine standalone clinical exams.
The all new patient friendly GEM Suite (Geometry Embracing Method) surface coils are designed for use with the Optima* MR450w 1.5T and it is anticipated that it will be available for use with the Discovery MR 750w wide bore 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging systems, offering excellent patient comfort without clinical compromise. The GEM Suite comprises a set of receive-only radio frequency surface coils including the Express Table and GEM Posterior Array, the GEM Head & Neck Unit, the GEM Anterior Array, the GEM Peripheral Vascular/Lower Extremity Array and GEM Flex Coils. Covering 98 percent of all exam types, the GEM coils can be used individually or combined to provide head to toe patient coverage. GE Healthcare’s advances in coil design are made possible through the use of thinner, lightweight, flexible material that can be used with a variety of body types, allowing easier patient positioning for more patients with less pressure.
Concepts in Development—MR Tech Pavilion
In keeping with the theme of “Future Focus, Patient Centered”, GE Healthcare will provide a sneak peek of what’s next in Magnetic Resonance as the company presents emerging solutions, new clinical concepts and breakthrough platforms that are aimed at moving MR technology beyond diagnosis, unleashing the power of MRI to revolutionize the role of imaging and meet the challenges of the changing healthcare environment.
From Qualitative to Quantitative: Unleashing the Power of MR
At a luncheon seminar May 10th, GE Healthcare is hosting, “From Qualitative to Quantitative: Unlocking the Power of MR,” which promises to offer insight into forward thinking technology. Introduced by, Jim Davis, general manager of the Global MR business, the seminar will feature presentations by Scott Reeder, M.D., Ph.D., and Chief of MRI and Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin, covering quantitative body and cardiovascular imaging; and Anders Dale, Ph.D., Professor of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, Vice Chair of Radiology and Co-Director of Multimodal Imaging at the University of California San Diego, providing insight into quantitative MR in Neuro Imaging.
“Always looking ahead, we continue to develop MR solutions that combine a future focus with an optimized patient experience,” added Davis.
Protocol Optimization Workshops
These unique workshops will give attendees the opportunity to get the most out of MR scanning sequences. GE Healthcare is facilitating these workshops to help participants execute multiple steps more efficiently.The Wednesday, May 11th sessions from 10:30 - 12:30pm and 1:30 - 3:30pm are devoted to Neuro and MSK. On Thursday, May 12th from 10:30 - 12:30pm and 1:30 - 3:30pm, the workshops are focused on Body and Cardiac protocols.
User Meetings
In addition, GE Healthcare MR is hosting four User Group Meetings, including a 7.0T User Meeting, Sunday, May 10 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am; an MRE User meeting, Sunday, May 10 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm; the EPIC/Spectro fMRI User Meeting, Monday, May 11 from 6: 00 pm to 10:00 pm; and the C13 User Meeting, Wednesday, May 13 from 6:30 pm to 10:00.
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About GE Healthcare:
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.
Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
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