MR Systems Garner FDA Clearance

GE Healthcare yesterday announced FDA clearance of its Optima™ MR360 1.5T and Brivo™ MR355 1.5T magnetic resonance systems. Approximately 180 such systems have been ordered by hospitals and imaging centers worldwide. Engineered around a high-definition platform that is said to be highly flexible, the Optima MR360 features an Express Exam concept that combines a simplified user interface, embedded Express Coil technology, and a wide range of advanced clinical applications. The Express Coil provides the benefits of a single coil built into a fixed table to help reduce handling and provide consistent image quality by ensuring that coil elements are positioned as close to patients’ anatomy as possible, the company says. Incorporating the OpTix RF system for enhanced signal clarity and intensity, the unit also utilizes an uncompromised magnet with a 48-cm field of view. Its footprint is 20% smaller than other full body 1.5T systems, and it can consume up to 34% less power than previous-generation systems for a potential annual savings of up to 60,000 kWh, GE Healthcare reports. Like the Optima MR360, the Brivo MR355 uses an uncompromised magnet with a 48-cm field of view and features both the OpTix technology and embedded Express Coil. It also offers the Ready Interface, a control center which, according to the company, requires fewer steps to optimize scan parameters and, in turn, delivers greater consistency from technologist to technologist and patient to patient. Other attributes encompass the Ready Bar, which reduces 30 inputs to a single control, and the Ready Brain, an acquisition technique that automatically determines slice alignment for brain scans.