From the September 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


“We believe that customers that have needs around productivity and speed will appreciate our solutions, while others have concerns about construction or room size that we also address,” Radder said. “We are confident that these are breakthrough technologies and we will have a large audience interested.”

ScanMed
This fall, ScanMed, an MR coil manufacturer, is releasing upgrades to its Pediatric Blanket Coil, released in 2012, and its PROCURE prostate pelvic coil, which came out in 2013.
The company is taking advantage of newer lightweight polymers to create more flexible and comfortable coils, said Natalie Hussey, ScanMed’s marketing manager.

“A lot of that technology has moved forward since we originally developed those coils,” Hussey said. “We’re taking what are already great, effective products and improving them from a patient’s perspective. We’ve got excellent prototypes already. They really are dramatically lighter.”

The coils are compatible with GE, Siemens and Philips MR scanners.

In the future, ScanMed is looking to move further into contract engineering, partnering with other companies to manufacture MR products, with an eye toward using MR coils for treatment rather than diagnostics. Such uses include MR-guided biopsy and MR for hyperthermia therapy for cancer treatment.

Siemens Healthineers
Last fall, Siemens Healthineers became the first company to have a 7T MR system cleared for diagnostic imaging.

The MAGNETOM Terra is designed with an ultra-high-field strength magnet to visualize greater anatomical detail, allowing for advanced applications in diagnostic neurological and musculoskeletal exams. The system is also used by researchers who can leverage a “research mode” for investigational (not 510(k)-cleared) scanning of any body part.
“The higher resolution offers radiologists and physicians the potential to see greater detail in anatomy and greater detail in pathology,” said David Carpenter, the manager of emerging technologies for MR at Siemens Healthineers North America.

For example, the company sees an opportunity to detect the anatomic source of seizures for a third of epilepsy patients that don’t respond to drugs, allowing for surgical interventions. On the flip side, the scanner may also help avoid noninvasive interventions through more detailed imaging of knee cartilage and tissue.

September 2018 Magazine

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