West London’s Charing Cross Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has ordered the NHS’s first Magnetom Verio 3T MRI scanner from Siemens Healthcare.
Said to represent a new class of MRI technology that “opens the door to highfield imaging for routine clinical procedures at an affordable price point”, the 3T at Charing Cross will complement an existing 1.5T MR unit.
“Three Tesla MR has traditionally been the preserve of high-end diagnostic imaging in university or research institutions,” said Julie Shepherd, MR product manager, Siemens Healthcare. “Siemens Healthcare has now pushed the boundaries of innovation to offer the very latest equipment for mainstream clinical procedures.”
Siemens says the Magnetom Vario incorporates the strongest magnet strength used clinically; potential applications include neurology and functional neuro evaluation, orthopaedic and cartilage assessment, breast, vascular and cardiac imaging. The 3T system is said to optimise parallel imaging, accelerate scan time and improve visualisation as well as patient througput. The scanner is also claimed to be the market’s shortest, at 173 cm, with a compact 33 m2 footprint and “ultra-light” magnet.
