MALVERN, Pa.-- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore has become the first facility in the United States to install the newest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system from Siemens Medical Solutions (www.usa.siemens.com/healthcare) - the MAGNETOM® Verio. Combining 3 Tesla (T) strength and sensitivity with a 70-cm open bore and Tim™ (Total imaging matrix) technology, the MAGNETOM Verio is helping Hopkins Bayview to provide high-field imaging to many patients who previously could not benefit from the technology.

Certain patients, such as children or adults experiencing excessive pain or limited mobility, and the elderly, have had difficulty tolerating MRI exams. However, the Verio's short length - the shortest 3T on the market today - along with its large bore - the widest 3T available - can help reduce a patient's anxiety and discomfort. Furthermore, due to the system's wide bore and a 550-pound table-weight capacity, the MAGNETOM Verio enables clinicians to image and diagnose many obese patients, an increasingly important factor as one-in-three Americans is considered obese.

"The Verio is an exciting addition to our facility because it enables us to provide high-field imaging to new patient populations, including our bariatric patients," said Dr. Mark E. Bohlman, chairman of imaging at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. "Furthermore, the Verio is already being used to assist our clinicians in new ways, such as scanning for viable cartilage for transplant and helping create neurosurgical, pre-op planning maps."
With the strongest magnet field strength used clinically, the Verio can be used for many applications, including neurology and functional neuro evaluation, orthopedic and cartilage assessment, breast, vascular, and cardiac imaging.

"MRI is increasingly becoming the exam of choice in the U.S., with a 10 percent increase in MRI exams in just the past five years," said Jeffrey Bundy, vice president, Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. "Siemens' Verio is allowing healthcare providers to meet this escalating demand while, at the same time, making the experience much more comfortable for the patient."

About the MAGNETOM Verio
The Verio, with the power of Tim, has up to 102 seamlessly integrated matrix coil elements and up to 32 independent radiofrequency channels, enabling advanced clinical applications. Tim allows flexible combinations of up to four different coils that make patient and coil repositioning virtually unnecessary.

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