Artificial intelligence is once again the name of the game, this time at the annual meeting of the European Congress of Radiology being held in Vienna, Austria.
Up first, Philips has spotlighted an exclusive partnership with the Swedish AI developer Synthetic MR, and the joint launch of a set of diagnostic decision support programs for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and dementia.
The companies’ Smart Quant Neuro 3D offering offers quantitative assessments of the state of brain tissue beyond what can be read from 2D image slices—including complete segmentation and volume measurements, as well as analyses of white matter, gray matter, cerebrospinal fluid and myelin.
“Life-changing brain injury and neurodegenerative disease are two of the most difficult diagnoses that clinicians have to make on a daily basis, because of the different symptoms exhibited by individual patients,” Philips’ MR business leader, Ruud Zwerink, said in a statement.
The ability to characterize nerves’ loss of myelin sheaths over time, for example, is particularly important not just in diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases such as MS, but is also a major facet of traumatic brain injuries, and may be invisible on a conventional scan.
In addition, Philips launched a new motorized, mobile C-arm imaging system, the Zenition 90, for X-ray-guided procedures such as cardiovascular interventions and other therapies. The device follows the recent launch of the unmotorized Zenition 30. The company also touted upgrades to its Azurion image-guided therapy scanner designed for stroke and neurovascular care, with a biplane system that allows for faster parking of the imaging arm and transitions between 2D to 3D imaging.
Elsewhere at the ECR meeting, Siemens Healthineers announced that its Varian division obtained an FDA clearance for its TrueBeam and Edge radiotherapy systems. The devices come equipped with the companies’ HyperSight imaging programs that use scans taken during a patient’s daily radiation regimen and help deliver more accurate doses that aim to spare damage to the surrounding organs, without needing an additional trip to a separate CT scanner.
The company also unveiled its first 1.5T MRI scanner featuring a closed helium circuit and no quench exhaust pipe. According to Siemens, the relatively compact and AI-enabled Magnetom Flow system has reduced the amount of liquid helium needed to cool its magnets to only 0.7 liters, compared to the 1,500 liters that may be required over the lifetime of a refillable scanner.
“The world's population is growing and with it the need for MRI exams. However, the simultaneous rise in cost pressure and lack of personnel make it difficult to operate MRI economically,” said Siemens MR head Andreas Schneck. “The Magnetom Flow platform provides the answer to the challenges facing healthcare systems. It increases productivity in routine clinical practice due to its high degree of automation and makes a decisive contribution to sustainability with the Dry Cool technology.”
GE HealthCare, meanwhile, raised the curtain on its next-generation Logiq ultrasound portfolio.
The E10 series and Fortis systems come with integrated AI-based workflow and decision support tools, including third-party applications while the new Totus aims to offer a multi-purpose solution for full-body imaging in a variety of clinical settings. All three can link with GE’s Vscan Air CL wireless handheld probe for added flexibility.