Lightweight, short-stature MR scanner cleared
The FDA has greenlit a whole-body MRI machine that uses deep learning and advanced image processing to wring “elevated image quality” from a magnet with only 0.55 Tesla field strength.
The scanner, a Siemens Healthineers offering called Magnetom Free.Star, also has a standard-size 60 cm patient bore, stands below 80 inches and weighs only 3.3 tons. (Average weight for 1.5T scanners is around five tons.)
In a news release sent July 5, Siemens positions the product as a cost-effective option for sites interested in increasing patient access to MRI.
Siemens says the unit consumes substantially less energy than conventional MR scanners and so can cut lifecycle costs by more than 30%.
News release here.
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Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.