Medical Technology News From Around The World
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Digirad received the European CE Mark of approval for its Cardius X-ACT solid state SPECT imager. It features low dose volume CT attenuation correction, 3D-OSEM reconstruction and upright imaging capability.
The company already has approval from the FDA to market the Cardius X-ACT in the U.S.
Press release: Digirad Receives CE Mark Approval for Advanced, Solid-State Cardius(R) X-ACT Imaging System
GE Healthcare received FDA clearance for the Brivo NM615 nuclear medicine scanner with SPECT capability. This is a budget-oriented single head system that approaches the performance of a dual head and allows for lower doses of injected radioisotopes compared to similar systems.
The device already has the European CE Mark of approval.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a way to coat an iron-based contrast agent so it interacts preferentially with acidic environments in the body such as areas of tumor formation or inflammation. The technology may lead to a potentially cheaper, safer, and more effective method of tumor detection than current less specific contrast agents.
The research was conducted by Professor Andrew Tsourkas and graduate student Samuel H. Crayton from the bioengineering department at Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and published in the journal ACS Nano.  To improve the differentiation between tissues in the body, physicians use contrast agents to achieve better visualization of tissues when imaging.
Philips has received FDA clearance for its whole body positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging system, the Ingenuity TF PET/MR. The system is able to perform both standalone MR and hybrid PET/MR studies. The scanner gantries are in line with each other, and during hybrid exams, the patient table rotates between each modality to scan a patient.
The combination of PET and MRI helps to closely correlate detailed anatomical images with functional metabolic images acquired at about the same point in time and in the same position. The PET system features Philips’ Astonish TF time-of-flight technology that enhances image quality by reducing noise and providing increased sensitivity. The MR magnet has a field strength of three Tesla.
NeuroLogica received the European CE Mark for the inSPira HD SPECT system. The battery powered system received U.S. FDA approval two years ago. It can be moved between different hospital units as needed and provides a look at cerebral blood flow distribution in patients with Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, post-stroke and other conditions.NeuroLogica claims that proprietary technology within its SPECT camera provides a considerably higher spatial resolution than any other SPECT on the market.
More from the announcement:
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Swiss companies CSEM and Swisstrace have unveiled a new nuclear medicine blood sampler for monitoring the time-course of radioactivity in whole blood.
The firms claim that the Twilite device is smaller than any other similar component and supposedly is the only sampler designed for use in combination PET/NMR devices.
Siemens won FDA clearance to market its Biograph mMR scanner that for the first time brings together magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography into one unit. This follows on the heels of European approval of the device. Biograph mMR features a 3 Tesla magnet and the two modalities can be used independently of each other.
Press release: Siemens’ Biograph mMR Establishes Itself…
GE Healthcare has received FDA approval and is releasing to market its new SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) system, the Discovery NM 630. The company is touting the potential for lower radiation doses and shorter exam times, while being able to handle patients up to a quarter of a ton thanks to its sturdy table and a 70 cm bore.
A step forward in detector design, the Elite NXT detector enables exceptional image quality. Elite NXT detectors are designed to offer outstanding SPECT resolution and exceptional contrast for superb image quality, all to help clinicians diagnose patients earlier and more accurately. Ultra-thin design and auto-body contouring minimize the distance between the patient and the detectors for excellent resolution while SPECT-optimized collimators and the exceptionally high count rate enable extremely precise event detection.
Siemens has received EU’s CE Mark for its Biograph mMR, the world’s first integrated MR/PET scanner. One pass through the machine can provide physicians with both anatomic and functional imaging of the patient, or it can be used selectively as a 3T MRI or just as a traditional PET scanner.
More about the device from Siemens:
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