From the October 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


The SIGNA Premier is powered by a SuperG gradient coil that is designed to deliver the image quality of 60cm MR systems normally used for research purposes, but with a 70 centimeter bore that can accommodate larger patients and those who are claustrophobic.

“This product features GE Healthcare’s latest, short-bore, high-homogeneity 3T superconductive magnet, the most powerful gradient system GE Healthcare has ever developed for a wide bore 3T system, and a new, digital RF transmit and receive architecture,” Brandt says.


GE has also applied for 510(k) clearance for Air Coil, a new suite of coils for the SIGNA Premier. The coils are 66 percent lighter and consume half the power of other coils, Brandt says. The copper loop etching process has also been eliminated, resulting in a “green” solution.

“These new coils are going to be a huge differentiator for patient comfort, but also for workflow and for the techs,” Brandt says. “Coils tend to be bulky, susceptible to drops and breakage, and hard to fit to some anatomies and patients. But Air Coil is like a blanket. It’s lightweight and can adapt easily to different patients. Because the coils wrap around the anatomy of interest, it's great for receiving signal because it can get closer to the anatomy of interest.”

In September 2016, GE received FDA clearance for MAGiC, which the company says is the industry’s first multi-contrast MR imaging technique. Used for neurological imaging, the technique gives clinicians more data than conventional scanning in a fraction of the time.

“MAGiC gives users the flexibility to manipulate images retrospectively, leading to significant time savings, fewer rescans and potentially cost savings,” Brandt says.

Another new software offering from GE is HyperWorks, which is part of the SIGNAWorks Innovation applications available on the SIGNA Architect 3T system and SIGNA Artist 1.5T system, both made commercially available in April, as well as the SIGNA Premier, SIGNA Pioneer and with systems that have upgraded to the latest platform.

HyperSense, part of HyperWorks, is a new compressed sensing application that allows clinicians to reduce scan times or increase scan resolution. It can deliver up to eight times faster results in brain, head and neck, spine, musculoskeletal, abdominal and pelvic imaging, Brandt says.

The software works by sampling sparse data and then performing iterative reconstruction. It can also be combined with other methods, such as ARC, for achieving high signal-to-noise ratio with shorter acquisition times, according to Brandt.

October 2017 Magazine

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