Optima NM/CT640 offers brilliant CT image quality enabled by high speed 1 second CT rotation minimizing motion artifacts while keeping dose and ownership costs low.Good stuff.
Miami, Fla June 11, 2012— At the Society of Nuclear Medicine this year, GE Healthcare is introducing the latest addition to its Nuclear Medicine 600 series with a new performance SPECT/CT system—the Optima* NM/CT 640 — that offers nuclear medicine physicians the optimal balance of image quality, patient dose efficiency and low total cost of ownership.
Based on the innovative 600 series SPECT technology found in the Discovery* NM630, this system integrates the latest generation general purpose camera with a newly developed 4 slice CT designed for hybrid rather than standalone CT use. The CT, available in 2.5mm and 5mm slice thicknesses to optimize dose and resolution required for particular procedures, offers clinicians confidence with routinely low CT dose at 1-2 mSv for a 40cm abdomen CT scan.
The Optima NM/CT 640 can be fully upgraded on location from a Discovery NM630 SPECT only system, and may be upgraded in the future to a 16 slice Discovery* NM/CT 670, expanding not only its clinical capability, but offering the potential for research use. This upgradeability helps protect clinicians’ and healthcare providers’ investments as the needs of their department evolve.
With its small footprint (5.7m x 3.6m) the Optima NM/CT 640 requires minimal renovation and installation costs. With the benefit of optimized CT power, shielding and control room requirements are often eliminated; saving as much as $100,000 compared to higher CT powered systems...
“Building off of our extensive experience in SPECT/CT, the advances we’ve made to our Infinia Hawkeye 4 platform and incorporating the SPECT technology of our Discovery NM630 camera, we’re striving to give our customers unsurpassed diagnostic confidence,” added Hermony.
GE Healthcare believes in nuclear medicine as a powerful diagnostic tool that is efficient, precise and sophisticated and we’re dedicated to harnessing its power. We have a strong vision for the future and with continued investment in technology advancements like the Optima NM/CT 640 and breakthroughs like CZT. In the end it’s a commitment from a global company that’s dedicated to solving big challenges everywhere – all for the benefit of clinicians and their patients.
*Trademark of General Electric Company
†Shorter acquisition times and dose reduction capabilities are possible with Optima NM/CT 640 system only when used in combination with the relevant features offered on the Xeleris 3 processing and review workstation.
However...I'm a little worried about the diagnostic quality of the "newly developed 4-slice CT", and given the mention of CZT, I'm assuming this is an attempt to create a nicer Hawkeye, with better SPECT, and maybe, possibly a bit better CT acquisition. Otherwise, why emphasize the ability to upgrade to the 670, which has "real" CT capability? Apparently, GE sees a market for the more limited version that doesn't need shielding, and continues to offer the "low dose" enticement in trade for lesser image quality. We'll know when the spec sheet becomes available.
In the meantime, anecdotal reports from the one owner in the neighborhood of the NM/CT 670 has been less than enthusiastic. As in "why didn't we get the Siemens?"
But what I would really like to know is this: How much did GE pay Kia for the rights to the name "Optima"? What? Kia doesn't even know about it? Uh oh...
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