EH 6/2014

Where cardiology comes together 5 150 CV Topics 30 000 healthcare professionals from 140 countries 10 000 abstracts submitted 500 expert sessions 180 exhibiting companies & all year long on ESC Congress 365 Mid Dec - 14 Feb Abstract submission Mid Jan - 1 March Clinical case submission Mid March - 1 May Hot Lines submission 31 May Early Registration deadline 31 July Late Registration deadline IMPORTANT DATES Spotlight: Environment & the Heart #esccongress escardiodotorgEuropean Society of Cardiology www.escardio.org/ESC2015 29 August – 2 September EUROPEAN HOSPITAL Vol 23 Issue 6/14 8 RADIOLOGY Hitachi has double-downed its bet on the advantages of open-platform MRI by introducing a new genera- tion of the Oasis 1.2T scanner this year at the RSNA. The jump to new processing power and the new Origin 4.0 MR Operating Software effectively enhances capabilities with a range of new applications for neuro, orthopaedic and vascular imaging, as well as enhancing rou- tine exams for women’s health and oncology, John Brosky reports. Meanwhile, Hitachi has ramped up production facilities to meet a growing demand for the unique open-platform configuration that helps radiology groups meet the challenges posed in imaging chil- dren, the disabled, overweight patients or simply anxious patients uncomfortable with claustropho- bic conventional scanners. Hitachi expects to increase the availability of the Oasis platform, specifically with a focus on European hospitals and imaging centers. The first thing you notice about the Oasis 1.2T is the wide, open patient platform, a welcome change from the sliding tables of traditional MRI designs where the patient is pushed into a confining bore. For radiologists, putting at ease these difficult patients means reducing the risk of repeat scans, decreased scan time and a higher quality diagnostic image. ‘Open Architecture is a truly valued and complementary tool for healthcare providers that have an array of scanners but see this flex- ibility as an essential requirement for their service offering to patients,’ said Shawn Warthman, Director for MR Marketing with Hitachi America. In America today, he said, rough- ly one in 10 patients arriving for a diagnostic exam are obese and often too difficult to be effectively scanned in closed bore systems. The open gantry and wide table of Oasis that can accommodate all patients independent of their body size and weight appeals to what Warthman called, ‘a rather large group of cus- tomers performing routine exams from large regional medical cent- ers to smaller community hospi- tals.’ According to Keiichi Yusa, Vice President and Director of the MR/ CT Division for Hitachi Europe, ‘These patients may be challenging, but they are still patients with medi- cal conditions that require an MRI examination. Oasis allows imaging centers to perform these exams more comfortably and effectively.’ During RSNA 2014, Hitachi pre- sented the expanded applications available for Oasis 1.2T with the combination of the new Vertex II computer and the Origin 4.0 MR Operating Software. Enhanced com- puting and processing power with a state-of-the-art 64-bit host computer streamlines the entire imaging pro- cess and related workflows from patient registration through scan planning, the scanning operation itself and on to image processing and image management. Expanded clinical capabilities include 3-D isotropic acquisitions (isoFSE), combined multi-echo gra- dient echo imaging, radial imaging combined with parallel acquisition, or Adage and Rapid Radar and advancements in non-contrast MRA (VASC-FSE). According to Warthman, neurol- ogy imaging benefits greatly with increased power behind motion compensation technique Radar that is available for any sequence or coil in any plane. The upgraded Oasis 1.2T now features susceptibil- ity weighted imaging (SWI), also called blood-sensitive imaging that plays an important role in neuro- logical exams. Spectroscopy and perfusion are also available for full clinical investigation of neurological patients. Hitachi has also expanded its portfolio for musculoskeletal exami- nations by taking full advantage of the open platform architecture to acquire an image radially. While patients may try to hold still during an exam, many will voluntarily or involuntarily move. Spine examina- tions supported by the flow and motion compensation technique of radial acquisition with Radar, sig- nificantly improve image quality and expedite interpretation without constraining or sedating patients. The limited availability of the early versions of Oasis, due to production constraints, means that, for Europe, the unique platform remains a relatively new scanner, according to Hitachi’s Yusa. ‘The advantage is that we are bringing to European centers state-of-the-art capabilities with upgraded process- ing power and jumping to the latest features of the version 4 software,’ he said. Imaging ‘difficult’ patients Oasis 1.2T MRI has powerfully expanded Shawn Warthman, Director of MR Marketing, Hitachi USA Keiichi Yusa, Vice President & Director of the MR/CT Division, at Hitachi Europe Images:HitachiMedicalCorporation The new Open Architecture Superconductive Imaging System (Oasis) 1.2T With traditional MRI the patient is pushed, on a sliding table, into a confining bore Oasis 1.2T MRI has an open patient platform 5150 CV Topics 30000 healthcare professionals from 140 countries 10000 abstracts submitted 500 expert sessions

EH 6/2014

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