GE Healthcare focuses attention on its next-generation products and solutions in computed tomography (CT) and advantage workstation (AW) with the introduction of three scanners now available: the Optima CT660 FREEdom edition, the Optima CT540, and the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom edition.

The company said these advancements represent more than $800 million of investment over 15 years. “Year after year, GE’s CT and AW businesses are industry leaders in cutting edge technology that improves diagnostic image quality while enabling lower dose, and this year is no exception,” said Steve Gray, VP and general manager of GE Healthcare’s CT and AW business. “Our new Optima products in particular are assisting in making the experience of getting a CT scan better for the patient, the radiologist administering the scan, and the physician interpreting the scan’s results.”

In the cardiac area, GE’s Optima CT660 FREEdom edition features GE’s exclusive motion FREEdom with intelligent coronary motion correction. This platform enables fast, high performance imaging with expanded capabilities for use in the emergency room, as well as innovative dose reduction features, according to the company.

Based on FREEdom technologies (Fast Registered Energies and ECG), this system represents a solution to “freeze” coronary motion in higher heart rate coronary CTA exams by the introduction of intelligent motion correction via SnapShot freeze, which precisely detects vessel motion and velocity and can determine actual vessel position and intelligently correct the effects of motion during cardiac CT exams.

With the Optima CT660, users can scan quickly in one pass with diagnostic image quality and images reconstructed in real time. Able to scan patients in seconds, the Optima CT660 allows extended coverage of 80 mm with VolumeShuttle, providing twice the brain coverage for a single bolus of contrast at lower dose than continuous acquisition techniques.

The Optima CT660 FREEdom edition consumes up to 60% less energy than previous GE CT systems and has a 15% lower siting requirement compared to other 64-channel detector scanners. Over the life of the product, these substantial savings can translate into lower operational costs.

GE’s Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom edition offers cardiac spectral CT.