GE Healthcare launches Optima MR450w
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
New wide-bore magnetic resonance imaging system addresses market for large systems with high-quality imaging, the company says. Optima MR450w allows scans with a 50 cm field of view, while the 70 cm-wide bore allows "enhanced patient comfort" for obese or claustrophobic patients, GE says Aug. 24. The system, which was 510(k)-cleared July 28, is "clinically optimized to specific anatomies, including industry-leading breast imaging capabilities, [and] can accommodate more patients with fewer scans and less coaxing for high patient throughput," the company claims. GE adds that the Optima MR450w has overcome limitations that previously sacrificed image quality for size of scan, and that it is "one of GE Healthcare's largest launches for this year." Radiologists previously have emphasized a need for imaging equipment to accommodate heavy patients (1"The Gray Sheet" Aug. 3, 2009)