GE Healthcare has gotten the green light from the FDA to begin selling its SIGNA 7T MR scanners to U.S. providers.

With a magnet approximately five times more powerful than those found in most clinical systems, the scanner is the most powerful FDA-cleared MR system to date and is capable of imaging anatomy, function, metabolism and microvasculature in the brain and joints with strong resolution and detail.

“This new scanner is a critical tool in research for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and mild traumatic brain injury,” Jie Xue, president and CEO of GE Healthcare MR, said in a statement. “Now clinicians will have access to the power of ultra-high field imaging combined with the ultra-high performance gradients to translate research advances into new clinical diagnostic tools and potential treatment options.”
The 60-centimeter bore solution can be used to evaluate neurologic and musculoskeletal diseases for both research and clinical purposes. In addition to its 7-Tesla magnet, the solution is equipped with UltraG gradient technology, the most powerful whole-body gradient coil offered by GE, for ultra-high field imaging speed and resolution, as well as advanced diffusion and functional brain imaging.

The solution made its debut back in August at the virtual International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) meeting.

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