GE Healthcare highlights molecular imaging technologies to help clinicians improve patient experiences

Focusing on helping clinicians improve experiences for their patients, GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) is highlighting an innovative portfolio of molecular imaging technologies and agents at the 57^th annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), June 5-9, in Salt Lake City.

“The result is a suite of applications and innovations for our customers to understand disease from the beginning.”

"Our vision for the Molecular Imaging business is to apply innovation to improve the patient experience," said Terri Bresenham, vice president of the GE Healthcare Molecular Imaging business. "We have shortened traditional exam times and reduced dose without compromising a clinician or researcher's ability to understand disease from the beginning."

GE Healthcare innovations advance dose management
One example of how GE Healthcare is improving experience for patients is through dose management. At SNM, GE Healthcare is showcasing the groundbreaking technique of Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASiR) resulting in a reduction of CT dose by up to 40%. With this breakthrough innovation across the Discovery PET/CT 600 series platform and Discovery NM/CT 570c, clinicians don't compromise image quality while reducing dose to their patients. Further, GE Healthcare is introducing new PET pediatric protocols available on the Discovery Dimension Console, that allow the lowest dose possible for the youngest patients.

Another example of GE Healthcare's commitment to responsible dose management is the ability to reduce injected dose by up to 50 percent compared with standard cardiac and bone protocols. Enabled by GE's exclusive Evolution family of products and first available on the Discovery NM/CT 670, this technology is now available on the Infinia and Hawkeye 4 products. GE further extends patient dose and imaging time management with solid-state Alcyone acquisition technology, which allows up to a four fold decrease in either imaging time or injected patient dose.

New technologies address exam times
PET/CT technology has also evolved with the patient in mind. With specialized detector configuration designed for sensitivity, event throughput and efficiency, researchers and clinicians have the necessary speed in workflow, protocol flexibility to help forge new frontiers in clinical techniques, drug discovery and motion management. The scan itself is also more efficient with a 2-meter scan option that allows clinicians to complete an entire head to toe examination in one scan. In addition, image reconstruction can make or break clinical workflow schedules. The patient scan can be reviewed while the patient is still on the table.

In conventional nuclear cardiac imaging, a patient must hold their arms above their head for two scans that take between 15-20 minutes each. With GE Healthcare's next-generation Alycone technology available on GE's revolutionary cardiac imaging scanners, Discovery NM 530c and Discovery NM 570c, clinicians are able to gather image data much more quickly. Unlike conventional nuclear imaging, all views are acquired simultaneously during a fully stationary SPECT acquisition, eliminating equipment movement during the scan. Focused multi-pinhole collimation has been strategically positioned to view cardiac anatomy and pathology with greater clarity and speed, resulting in scan times as short as three minutes.

Furthermore, the most commonly performed Nuclear Medicine procedure—whole body bone imaging—which includes a whole body planar and at least one position SPECT/CT, and traditionally required over 35 minutes to complete, has been shortened to 16 minutes imaging time with the state-of-the-art Discovery NM/ 670.

Adventure Series™ transforms anxiety into adventure
Demonstrating its commitment to patient centered innovation focused on safety, clinical solutions and an optimized environment for even the smallest patients, GE Healthcare will be showcasing Molecular Imaging products featuring the Adventure Series, a bold and innovative concept that makes diagnostic imaging a better experience for kids. The result is GE Healthcare is helping to evolve pediatric imaging from 'exams' to 'procedural theater,' all with the primary goal of minimizing the anxiety journey for the patient and their family.

"Through all of these revolutionary technologies, patients spend less time in the exam and doctors get the information they need to determine course of treatment more quickly," said Bresenham.

Imaging Advancements at SNM
In addition to the focus on the patient experience at SNM this year, GE Healthcare is featuring the latest SPECT/CT, PET/CT, radiopharmacy, and pre-clinical technologies addressing inaccuracies caused by motion in PET/CT imaging, the need for better visualization of disease and efficient workflow, faster throughput, and more consistent, accessible and compliant imaging agent production in radiopharmaceuticals.

GE Healthcare continues to demonstrate its commitment to both clinicians and researchers by introducing six features that enhance predictability, efficiency, and confidence across the Discovery PET/CT 600 series portfolio. GE Healthcare is the only vendor offering the choice of detectors within the same cutting-edge product series, allowing users to tailor systems to their needs and providing flexibility to excel both in clinical implementation and imaging exploration. "We have a unique advantage in that we can combine advanced molecular imaging tools with the latest CT technology," said Jim Mitchell, general manager of GE Healthcare's PET/CT business. "The result is a suite of applications and innovations for our customers to understand disease from the beginning."

First to introduce MotionFree imaging technology nine years ago, GE Healthcare continues to drive advancements and enhancements to applications reconstruction. All of the Discovery PET/CT 600 series products incorporate industry leading, MotionFree imaging technologies into the clinical workflow. This capability allows clinicians and researchers to align PET and CT gated images to compensate for movement in all regions of the body, most importantly those regions subject to respiratory motion. Combined with VUE Point HD or VUE Point FX reconstruction, these technologies have the potential to improve small lesion detection, treatment planning, and better therapy response monitoring.

In Nuclear Medicine, the Discovery NM/CT 670 advanced hybrid imaging platform is designed to improve workflow, dose management and overall image quality. The system combines a newly designed SPECT gantry for greater positional flexibility, the latest in Nuclear Medicine detectors and GE Healthcare's state of the art BrightSpeed Elite 16 slice CT. The Discovery NM/CT 670 incorporates flexible and proven workflow technology advancements from 11 years of Infinia Hawkeye innovations and installations with a modular gantry, designed to embrace tomorrow's technology today. And now the Infinia Hawkeye 4 is benefitting from advanced applications first introduced on the Discovery NM/CT 670, including Cardiac Morphing, Volumetrix™ MI and the Evolution Toolkit further expanding the capabilities of this hybrid solution.

Debuting at SNM is the Xeleris™ 3, the latest version of the Xeleris MI platform granting a portal to all that is possible in molecular imaging quantification and review. The Xeleris 3 workstation provides remote access and PACS integration via XFL, advanced application tools integrated within Cardiac Myovation and SPECT Volumetrix packages. Complicated SPECT, PET, CT and MRI workflows are simplified and accessible anywhere.

PET Tracer Production
GE Healthcare simplifies the complexity of radiopharmacy infrastructure into a single touch-point solution that provides end-to-end capabilities. TRACERcenter -GMP™ combines equipment, information and services that allow customers to establish and operate their research or clinical PET tracer production center with confidence. Through its industry-leading PETtrace family, including the new PETtrace 880™, the most powerful production system to date, GE brings customers a consistent, reliable source combined with flexible production. TRACERcenter-710S™, the new entry-level production center brings customers world-class PET imaging anywhere with its upgradeable platform.

Pre-clinical Research
In addition to industry leading multimodality small animal imaging scanners such as the Triumph™ (PET/SPECT/CT). GE Healthcare now brings a panel of imaging biomarkers, including oncology specific tracers that are available exclusively for pre-clinical imaging. Probe mechanisms of action for drug candidates for their impact on fundamental mechanisms such as angiogenesis (VEGF), cytotoxic chemotherapeutic resistance (EGF), apoptosis and necrosis (Annexin V), as well as cell metabolism (FDG). This solution offers kits for SPECT, PET and Optical imaging to help users probe tumor biology, in live subjects tracked over long periods of time - delivering in vivo results you can be confident in, quickly.

Innovation Center
GE Healthcare's Innovation Center will feature a look at next-generation molecular imaging concepts, developments and innovations. Attendees will have the opportunity to see how GE Healthcare is helping clinicians and researchers alike understand disease, from the beginning.

Radiotracers and Molecular Imaging Agents
Featured at SNM are our key products, AdreView™ (Iobenguane I-123 Injection) and Myoview™ (^99mTc-Tetrofosmin for Injection). AdreView, which was FDA-approved for use in the US in September 2008, is used in the detection of primary or metastatic pheochromocytoma or neuroblastoma as an adjunct to other diagnostic tests. AdreView is backed by a rigorous prospective clinical trial, and enables the use of both planar and SPECT imaging.

Myoview is a myocardial perfusion imaging agent approved for scintigraphic imaging of the myocardium. It is useful in the delineation of reversible ischemia, identifying changes in perfusion induced by pharmacologic stress, and the assessment of left ventricular function. Myoview combines excellent myocardial uptake and retention with high sensitivity and specificity for detecting angiographically significant coronary artery disease.

SOURCE GE Healthcare