Siemens' Simultaneous Multi-Slice application acquires MR images simultaneously as opposed to sequentially, reducing 2-D acquisition times by as much as a factor of 8.
April 25, 2016 — Siemens Healthcare announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared two new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications – Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) and GOBrain – designed to dramatically reduce the time required for MRI examinations of the brain.
Shorter scans are increasingly important at a time when brain scans account for approximately 1 out of every 4 MRI examinations, and when the number of brain MRI exams is expected to swell to 45 million worldwide this year.
Using an innovative technique that acquires MR images simultaneously as opposed to sequentially, Siemens’ new SMS application reduces 2-D acquisition times by as much as a factor of 8. Using SMS, physicians can reduce the length of MRI brain examinations, which can vary significantly, to times compatible with the clinical routine (e.g., up to 68 percent for diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI) and bring clinical relevance to advanced neurological applications. SMS can be used in the treatment of patients who possess limited tolerance for longer scan times, including pediatric or geriatric patients. In brain surgery cases, SMS may facilitate surgical mapping and improve efficiency in the OR.
Enabling clinically validated brain examinations in just five minutes, the new GOBrain application allows acquisition of clinically essential image orientations and contrasts with a single button-push. The technology is backed by Siemens’ high-channel density coils and the company’s MRI scanning software DotGO. GOBrain helps improve patient throughput and potentially reduce costs per scan. Shorter scan times, which are better tolerated by patients, can help curb lengthy and potentially expensive rescans as well as potentially reduce sedation.
The SMS application is available on Siemens’ Magnetom Aera 1.5T, Magnetom Skyra 3T, and Magnetom Prisma and Prisma Fit 3T MRI systems.
The GOBrain application is featured on the Magnetom Aera and Magnetom Skyra systems.
For more information: www.usa.healthcare.siemens.com
