The 3T Magnetom Vida MRI scanner with BioMatrix technology from Siemens Healthineers was launched to the public at University Hospital Tübingen, where the first system is installed.
It has been undergoing clinical tests in the hospital’s Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology since December 2016. Magnetom Vida is the first scanner equipped with BioMatrix, which addresses inherent anatomical and physiological differences among individual patients, as well as variability among users. Magnetom Vida and BioMatrix allow users to meet the growing demand for MR imaging, perform the full range of routine as well as complex examinations, and deliver robust results for every patient. Furthermore, the scanner seeks to make MRI more cost-effective by reducing rescans and increasing productivity. Siemens has been developing its BioMatrix technology for more than 5 years.
BioMatrix sensors in the table automatically track a patient’s respiratory pattern, giving users insights into a patient’s individual ability to hold his or her breath during the scan. This allows the user to select the optimal exam strategy, while also saving time during the examination.
Meanwhile, BioMatrix Tuners can help avoid rescans, which represent a major burden on productivity as well as a driver of additional costs in radiology. In cervical spine examinations, for example, this feature uses intelligent coil technology to automatically set the optimal scan parameters based on the individual patient anatomy, all without any additional user interaction. BioMatrix Tuners also improve the quality and reproducibility of whole-body diffusion. Precise control of scan parameters in real-time to match the individual patient anatomy makes it possible to avoid distortions, which can render diffusion imaging non-diagnostic, especially in 3T MRI.
Innovative interfaces also help ensure a consistently high examination quality, accelerating workflows, and improving quality of care. BioMatrix Interfaces accelerate the scanning process by up to 30 percent. Automated patient positioning based on intelligent body models automatically moves the patient table to the correct scan position. An intuitive touchscreen user interface integrated onto the scanner allows for one-touch positioning. A new, easy-to-move motorized patient table further simplifies examinations, especially for adipose, immobile, and trauma patients.
“With this system, we’re helping our customers overcome the current challenges in MR imaging—the increasing volume of examinations, the complexity of the scans, and the growing cost pressure,” says Christoph Zindel, MD, senior vice president and general manager of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Siemens Healthineers. “Magnetom Vida with BioMatrix makes MR imaging more robust and more precise, irrespective of inherent patient variability. Especially the disruptive BioMatrix technology will help our customers achieve fewer rescans, predictable scheduling, and consistent, high-quality personalized examination results. And this is just the beginning of where we can go with the technology; we will continue to develop it further to help foster a new era in precision medicine.”
The system is pending FDA 510(k) clearance.
For more information, visit Siemens Healthineers.
