Launch of Optima CT660 at German Congress of Radiology
GE Healthcare has now announced the sales launch of the Optima CT660*. The new system is a modular, all-round computer tomography (CT) product for all applications that uses extremely low doses of radiation, is economical with electricity and is extremely cost-effective. It is especially suitable for use in clinics and general hospitals. GE Healthcare is unveiling the groundbreaking 64-slice CT scanner for the first time in Europe at the Congress of Radiology.
Optima CT660 is GE ecomagination-certified and has been validated under the healthymagination initiative. These are two of GE’s global initiatives aimed at transforming healthcare delivery through innovations, partnerships and sustainability.
One of the biggest challenges in CT imaging is to obtain ultra-precise images of the inside of the body yet at the same time keep the dose of radiation to which the patient is exposed to a minimum. With the Discovery CT750 HD, GE achieved the breakthrough in Germany last year in high-definition and low-dose computer tomography. Based on the garnet crystal detector material Gemstone™, the scanner delivers ultra-precise information on even the smallest structures. With just one tube and one Gemstone detector, dual energy images can be captured simultaneously. These provide crucial information for diagnosis, improve image quality, reduce metallic artifacts and help uniquely characterize lesions.
Key technologies were adopted from the Discovery 750HD platform for the Optima CT660. Thanks to ASiR low-dose technology, the Optima CT660 can reduce X-ray radiation by up to 40 percent compared to conventional rear projection. The innovative energy concept also reduces energy consumption by up to 60 percent compared to previous generations of equipment.
Christian Kistner, GE Healthcare CT Manager for Germany, says: “We are delighted to be able to unveil the Optima CT660 Scanner for the first time at a European congress here in Berlin. Optima CT660 is the new CT platform from GE that provides answers to the key challenges in healthcare. The system is the all-rounder for all clinical investigations, including difficult cardio CT investigations. It offers outstanding image quality, cuts the radiation dose on all applications, uses significantly less electricity, has a very small footprint of just 18 m2 and is extremely economical.”
As a result, the Optima CT660 meets the requirements of state-of-the-art medical facilities. Just like the GE Discovery CT750 HD and the LightSpeed VCT Scanner, it features advanced technologies and applications. ASiR technology in particular helps reduce the radiation dose and the Volume Helical Shuttle enables data acquisition for dynamic 4D volume scans. This yields an extremely large dynamic coverage of up to 31.25 cm. The new Optima CT platform is therefore also ideal for use in universities, private hospital chains and cross-regional practice facilities.
The Optima CT660’s gantry is equipped with GE Healthcare’s first color 12-inch monitor. The new design enables patients to be introduced into the scanner more easily and kept calm where necessary, while operation of the scanner has been improved for medical personnel. The system requires only a very small footprint of just 18 m2 and is able to reduce energy consumption by up to 60 percent compared to conventional equipment. The modular CT platform also allows the scanner to be adapted to meet customer’s needs without changing the platform or replacing the gantry.
“GE is the first CT provider able to offer ASiR low-dose technology across its entire CT portfolio,” explains Kistner. “The great thing about ASiR is that it is the only iterative process to use raw data, enabling loss-free dose reduction. The iterative reconstruction is regarded as the gold standard among all technical and physical measures available for dose reduction, and taking into account the image quality, it will definitely shape the technology of the future.”
More than a million patients worldwide have already been scanned with ASiR so far.
Valerie Brissart, Strategic Product Manager for CT at GE Healthcare EMEA, explains: “This is the first CT scanner built around ASiR technology to bring the latest innovations to the door of every imaging department in a very compact size. The Optima CT660 offers advantages for everyone involved: The patient, by reducing the radiation dose by up to 40 percent compared to conventional rear projection, advantages for medical technology assistants by simplifying the design and workflow in an intelligent way, advantages for clinicians by offering sophisticated applications and not least advantages for our planet by reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 60 percent. I’m very proud that we at GE have been able to turn our customers’ pioneering visions into reality in this product!”
19.05.2010
