NEWS BRIEF
Molecular Imaging todayThe future of Molecular Imaging is personal. Every step of the care provided is an opportunity to make personalized decisions for patients.
As clinicians seek to practice more personalized medicine – including theranostics, a type of precision medicine that may enable more accurate diagnoses as well as functional and molecular measurements to assess therapy responses. As a result, high-quality images, enhanced workflows, shorter scan times and scalable technologies are in high demand.
GE HealthCare is uniquely positioned to cover the full breadth of the patient care journey as a leading healthcare industry partner that offers an end-to-end platform of advanced molecular imaging technologies, including cyclotrons, chemistry synthesis, pharmaceutical diagnostics, PET/CT, PET/MR, SPECT/CT, and advanced oncology and digital solutions.
Aurora
For the first time at #RSNA24, GE HealthCare unveils Aurora,1 a new dual head SPECT/CT. The system is designed to help clinicians see and do more, aiming to help expand the range of CT procedures typically available in hybrid systemsii and provide support for conditions, such as cancer and cardiac disorders, which rely on early detection and precise localization of abnormalities for effective intervention.
Aurora is designed to capture gamma rays emitted by radioactive tracers. These captured events are then turned into data that help create images showing the distribution of the tracer and enabling diagnoses across various care areas.
It also features GE HealthCare’s Revolution Ascend CT technology, offering additional design solutions to allow advanced CT capabilities beyond routine imaging typically available in hybrid systems.2 This includes 40mm CT detector coverage – twice that of other hybrid systems2 – with a 75 cm-wide CT bore to help enhance patient comfort while facilitating high-speed scanning (0.35-second rotation speed)3 and offering up to 128 slices4 for advanced procedures like coronary CT angiography.
GE HealthCare designed Aurora to unlock the potential of digital solutions, providing new opportunities to help clinicians solve operational and diagnostic challenges, as well as develop personalized approaches for better patient outcomes. These enhancements include:
- • ASiR-V for lower dose (up to 82% relative to FBP), reduced noise levels up to 91%, and improved spatial resolution at the same image noise;5
- • SnapShot Freeze 2 for improvement in motion blur reduction while maintaining high spatial resolution for whole heart motion correction;6
- • SwiftScan SPECT, which enables up to a 25% reduction in scan time or injected dose7 while maintaining lesion detectability;8 and
- • SmartMar for excellent artifact-less imaging, enabling the reduction of photon starvation, beam hardening, and streak artifacts caused by metal in the body.
Clarify DL
Also, a part of GE HealthCare’s nuclear medicine portfolio, Clarify DL9 represents a new deep learning image reconstruction, which is designed to enhance bone SPECT image quality performance,10 an important factor in increasing diagnostic confidence. In a clinical evaluation, Clarify DL's image resolution was rated as better in 98% of the exams.11
The result is an AI-powered solution designed to deliver clear, accurate, and effortless imaging – a stark contrast to today’s noise reduction techniques, which typically reduce noise at the expense of contrast and resolution and may impact accuracy and diagnostic confidence.
Omni Legend
New at #RSNA24, GE HealthCare is proud to now offer its Omni Legend PET/CT as a part of its Adventure Series, which aims to improve the imaging experience for pediatric patients. Through themed imaging rooms, the new Adventure Series system design with leverages captivating characters, lush visuals, and hands-on activities to enhance the imaging experience for children, their families, and hospital staff. As a result, children can be more relaxed, which may help reduce the need for sedation and increase the changes of successful scan.12
Specifically, Omni Legend’s solutions compliment the Adventure Series by enabling low-dose imaging13 and shorter scan times14 – which are key factors for pediatric patients.
GE HealthCare is proud to broaden its Omni platform with Omni Legend 21 cm,2 a performance-oriented configuration of the Omni Legend PET/CT scalable platform designed to evolve with healthcare system needs across care areas, including shorter scan times and lower doses15 without compromising image quality in oncology; support for increasing PET amyloid imaging in Alzheimer's diagnosis and treatment follow up in neurology; and exceptional cardiac diagnostics, accommodating a range of tracers – including fast decay and emerging tracers – in cardiology. These capabilities are further enhanced with Precision DL, an innovative deep learning-based image processing software that is engineered to increase small, low-contrast lesion detectability compared to our conventional Time-of-Flight PET/CT scanner.16
GE HealthCare also offers Omni Legend mobile, a portable, all-in-one PET/CT solution that further extends Omni Legend’s capabilities to regional or local scan centers to help increase access to advanced imaging while helping reduce travel burdens, especially for more vulnerable or remote patient communities.
The system continues to gain in popularity, representing the company’s fastest-ever-selling PET/CT17 with more than 500 customer commitments to purchase the system and 200 installations in 2.25 years.
MINItrace Magni
GE HealthCare’s new MINItrace Magni18 is designed to be a small footprint, cost-effective cyclotron for reliable, in-house production of commercial PET tracers and radiometals – like Gallium-68. When produced in combination with the company’s TRACERcenter – which is designed to serve as a complete PET radiopharmacy solution – the resulting radiopharmaceuticals can help physicians identify and diagnose clinical signs across care areas, including oncology, cardiology, and neurology.19
MIM Software
GE HealthCare offers a comprehensive portfolio of software solutions designed to help boost efficiency and promote precision care with MIM Software. Key products, including MIM Encore, MIM SurePlan MRT, and LesionID Pro offer clinicians and researchers intuitive image processing and interpretation, AI-based image segmentation, patient selection, tumor burden quantitation, practical dosimetry, workflow standardization and automation — all in a single unified vendor-neutral platform.
Additionally, MIM Software will showcase two recently FDA-cleared solutions:
- • MIMNeuro’s Centiloid scaling for positron emission tomography (PET)-based amyloid imaging analysis and quantification.20 Available as a vendor-neutral solution, this new Centiloid scale tool aims to help clinicians more confidently determine the density of amyloid plaque in a patient’s brain. Amyloid plaque density is one component of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
- • MIM SurePlan MRT’s Monte Carlo dosimetry for automating and standardizing dosimetry in theranostics. Also, vendor agnostic, this solution turns an otherwise cumbersome process of performing dosimetry into a clinically realistic process via automation and standardization. In just a few clicks, and with built-in guidance, users can review absorbed doses. Additionally, steps such as SPECT reconstruction, organ-at-risk segmentation, and time-activity curve fitting can be automated.
Margaret Steinhafel Global Communications Director Molecular Imaging & Computed Tomography margaret.steinhafel@gehealthcare.com M: +1 608 381 8829
1Aurora is CE marked. Available for sale in EU countries. 510(k) pending at the US FDA. Not available for sale in the U.S and other non-EU countries.
2Aurora as compared to NM/CT 870 DR with Optima CT 540.
30.35 rotation speed is optional. 0.5 second rotation speed is standard.
4128 slices with the overlapped reconstruction option.
5ASiR-V reduces dose by 50% to 82% relative to FBP at the same image quality, as defined by low contrast detectability. ASiR-V reduces image noise up to 91% at the same dose. ASiR-V improves spatial resolution up to 2.07X (107%) at same image noise. In clinical practice, the use of ASiR-V may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task. Low Contrast Detectability (LCD), Image Noise, Spatial Resolution and Artifact were assessed using reference factory protocols comparing ASiR-V and FBP. The LCD measured in 0.625 mm slices and tested for both head and body modes using the MITA CT IQ Phantom (CCT183, The Phantom Laboratory), using model observer method.
6The SnapShot Freeze 2 algorithm provides up to 6x improvement in motion blur reduction while maintaining high spatial resolution. This is demonstrated in cardiac phantom testing. The reduction in motion artifacts is comparable to a 0.058s Equivalent Gantry Rotation Speed with effective temporal resolution of 29 msec, as demonstrated in mathematical phantom testing.
7Compared to LEHR collimator, with Step & Shoot scan mode. As demonstrated in phantom testing using a bone scan protocol, Evolution processing, and a model observer. Because model observer results may not always match those from a human reader, the actual time/dose reduction depends on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location and clinical practice. A radiologist should determine the appropriate scan time/dose for the particular clinical task.
8As demonstrated in phantom testing using a model observer. Compared to using the LEHR Collimator and a SPECT Step & Shoot acquisition.
9Clarify DL is CE marked with Xeleris V and StarGuide. 510(k) pending at the US FDA. Not available for sale in the United States.
10Clarify DL improves image quality performance measured by Structures Similarity (SSIM), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), as compared to GEHC bone SPECT factory reconstruction presets. Demonstrated using digital phantom simulations with inserted lesions size, location, and contrast, for AC and NC.
11As demonstrated in clinical evaluation in which 127 exams were rated by total of 9 physicians. Each exam was reconstructed with both Clarify DL and the existing factory reconstruction preset and evaluated by 3 of the physicians.
12Statement based on anecdotal information gathered from facilities who have utilized the Adventure Series product at their facilities. Substantive clinical data not available.
13Omni Legend 32 cm can acquire with 40% the PET dose of a DMIGen1 25 cm premium digital TOF/PET CT system.* *As demonstrated in phantom testing.
14Omni Legend 32 cm can acquire with 47% the PET scan time of a DMI-Gen1 25 cm premium digital TOF/PET CT system.* Omni Legend 32 cm can image up to 104 cm in 4.7 minutes with an injected dose of 3.3 kBq/mL maintaining the same amount of noise equivalent counts collected in an equivalent 10-minute DMI Gen1 scan, with an injected dose of 3.3 kBq/mL. *As demonstrated in phantom testing.
15Omni Legend enables up to 40% PET dose reduction or up to 32% PET scan time reduction compared to Discovery MI 20 cm. As demonstrated in phantom testing.
16At matched scan time and injected dose. Detectability using clinical data with an inserted 8 mm diameter liver lesion of known location and 2:1 contrast using a CHO model observer, comparing SNR from Omni Legend 32 cm with QCHD and Precision DL to SNR from Discovery™ MI 25 cm with QCFX.
17Based on orders data of GE HealthCare PET/CT systems since 2010.
18Technology in development that represents ongoing research and development efforts. This technology is not products and may never become a product. Not CE marked.
19MINItrace Magni is designed to produce the following radionuclides for use across care areas: ¹⁸F, ¹¹C, ¹³N, ¹⁵O, ⁶⁸Ga, ⁸⁹Zr, 61/64Cu and more.
20Centiloid scaling is 510(k) cleared by the U.S. FDA and commercially available in the U.S. Not available for sale in all regions. Not commercially available in all markets.
2Aurora as compared to NM/CT 870 DR with Optima CT 540.
30.35 rotation speed is optional. 0.5 second rotation speed is standard.
4128 slices with the overlapped reconstruction option.
5ASiR-V reduces dose by 50% to 82% relative to FBP at the same image quality, as defined by low contrast detectability. ASiR-V reduces image noise up to 91% at the same dose. ASiR-V improves spatial resolution up to 2.07X (107%) at same image noise. In clinical practice, the use of ASiR-V may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task. Low Contrast Detectability (LCD), Image Noise, Spatial Resolution and Artifact were assessed using reference factory protocols comparing ASiR-V and FBP. The LCD measured in 0.625 mm slices and tested for both head and body modes using the MITA CT IQ Phantom (CCT183, The Phantom Laboratory), using model observer method.
6The SnapShot Freeze 2 algorithm provides up to 6x improvement in motion blur reduction while maintaining high spatial resolution. This is demonstrated in cardiac phantom testing. The reduction in motion artifacts is comparable to a 0.058s Equivalent Gantry Rotation Speed with effective temporal resolution of 29 msec, as demonstrated in mathematical phantom testing.
7Compared to LEHR collimator, with Step & Shoot scan mode. As demonstrated in phantom testing using a bone scan protocol, Evolution processing, and a model observer. Because model observer results may not always match those from a human reader, the actual time/dose reduction depends on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location and clinical practice. A radiologist should determine the appropriate scan time/dose for the particular clinical task.
8As demonstrated in phantom testing using a model observer. Compared to using the LEHR Collimator and a SPECT Step & Shoot acquisition.
9Clarify DL is CE marked with Xeleris V and StarGuide. 510(k) pending at the US FDA. Not available for sale in the United States.
10Clarify DL improves image quality performance measured by Structures Similarity (SSIM), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), as compared to GEHC bone SPECT factory reconstruction presets. Demonstrated using digital phantom simulations with inserted lesions size, location, and contrast, for AC and NC.
11As demonstrated in clinical evaluation in which 127 exams were rated by total of 9 physicians. Each exam was reconstructed with both Clarify DL and the existing factory reconstruction preset and evaluated by 3 of the physicians.
12Statement based on anecdotal information gathered from facilities who have utilized the Adventure Series product at their facilities. Substantive clinical data not available.
13Omni Legend 32 cm can acquire with 40% the PET dose of a DMIGen1 25 cm premium digital TOF/PET CT system.* *As demonstrated in phantom testing.
14Omni Legend 32 cm can acquire with 47% the PET scan time of a DMI-Gen1 25 cm premium digital TOF/PET CT system.* Omni Legend 32 cm can image up to 104 cm in 4.7 minutes with an injected dose of 3.3 kBq/mL maintaining the same amount of noise equivalent counts collected in an equivalent 10-minute DMI Gen1 scan, with an injected dose of 3.3 kBq/mL. *As demonstrated in phantom testing.
15Omni Legend enables up to 40% PET dose reduction or up to 32% PET scan time reduction compared to Discovery MI 20 cm. As demonstrated in phantom testing.
16At matched scan time and injected dose. Detectability using clinical data with an inserted 8 mm diameter liver lesion of known location and 2:1 contrast using a CHO model observer, comparing SNR from Omni Legend 32 cm with QCHD and Precision DL to SNR from Discovery™ MI 25 cm with QCFX.
17Based on orders data of GE HealthCare PET/CT systems since 2010.
18Technology in development that represents ongoing research and development efforts. This technology is not products and may never become a product. Not CE marked.
19MINItrace Magni is designed to produce the following radionuclides for use across care areas: ¹⁸F, ¹¹C, ¹³N, ¹⁵O, ⁶⁸Ga, ⁸⁹Zr, 61/64Cu and more.
20Centiloid scaling is 510(k) cleared by the U.S. FDA and commercially available in the U.S. Not available for sale in all regions. Not commercially available in all markets.