GE Healthcare has announced that its new SIGNA PET/MR combination scanner is currently pending FDA clearance. The device performs both the MR and PET scans at the same time, allowing accurate mapping of images from the two modalities. The PET component features a new digital detector and time-of-flight (TOF) technology that detects coincident pairs photons and the timing between them, leading to accurate identification of PET signal location, lower signal-to-noise ratio, and greater image detail.

Facilities that have the GE Discovery MR750w 3.0T currently installed will have the option to upgrade the scanner to the new SIGNA PET/MR. The device is already installed at Stanford, UCSF, and University of Zurich and being used for research purposes while it awaits both U.S. and European regulatory approvals.

“We are excited about SIGNA PET/MR because of its clinical and research potential,” said Dr. Andrei H. Iagaru, associate professor of Radiology and Co-Chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at Stanford University Medical Center. “We have been using the system for research and we are able to explore novel things in areas like neurology and oncology, as well as in pediatrics in the future. Additionally, it’s more convenient for the patient due to simultaneous scanning. We can also initiate innovative, complex research; simultaneity allows us to do functional neuro imaging, cardiac imaging, and musculoskeletal imaging that we haven’t been able to do before. Time-of-flight offers improved image quality in PET/MR and with the increased detector sensitivity, it may lead to future improvements in dose reduction.”

source:GE Healthcare