INDIANOLA, Pa. - To enable personalized treatment planning that may reduce significant side effects of prostate cancer treatment, MEDRAD and GE Healthcare announce the availability of the first endorectal coil for 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) prostate imaging. The MEDRAD 3.0T Prostate eCoilTM is available for GE Signa HDx 3.0T MR scanners through sales representatives from MEDRAD and GE Healthcare.

Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer often undergo either a radical prostatectomy, complete removal of the prostate gland, or radiation treatment over large portions of the prostate to combat the cancer. The after-effects on the patient can include impotence, urinary incontinence, and bleeding.

MEDRAD designed the 3.0T Prostate eCoil to produce very accurate diagnostic images of the prostate that may enable early diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. The 3.0T Prostate eCoil can also be used to plan radiation therapy in a way that helps physicians localize treatment to only the affected part of the gland. By giving clinicians more accurate images for use in planning and delivering targeted treatment, the eCoil may help them personalize the patient's treatment.

The 3.0T Prostate eCoil gets closer to the problem than other imaging options to help clinicians get closer to the solution. The eCoil balloon conforms to the size and shape of the prostate for consistent contact between the gland and the signal-amplifying elements of the coil. The result is small field-of-view (FOV) and high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and specificity that yield clearer pictures of the prostate.

"Prostate cancer strikes over 200,000 men annually, and we believe the Prostate eCoil can help in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease," said MEDRAD's Gary Bucciarelli, senior vice president, Magnetic Resonance Business Unit. "It will provide urologists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists with better information for treatment planning, recognizing that each patient is unique and that their treatment for prostate cancer should be as well."

"GE Healthcare has made a commitment to aggressively pursue the development of MR technology for the assessment of prostate disease," said GE's John Chiminski, vice president and general manager, Global Magnetic Resonance business. "Developments such as GE's exclusive LAVA and Diffusion Weighted Imaging provide physiological information that leads to improved diagnostic confidence. The availability of the MEDRAD 3.0T eCoil on the GE 3.0T HDx scanner strengthens our clinical roadmap."

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