Siemens Healthcare has unveiled its new MAGNETOM Prisma MRI system, which will be available across Europe later this year.
The technology was launched at the 98th Congress of the Radiological Society of North America 2012 . It will offer a new level of MRI imaging, combining high gradient strength and fast gradient slew rates.
Based on the same technology platform as the 3-Tesla MAGNETOM Skyra, the MAGNETOM Prisma is capable of high spatial and temporal resolution to achieve enhanced image quality, especially with demanding advanced research applications. Also, in order to provide existing customers with enhancements, Siemens is offering an upgrade path for the 3-Tesla system MAGNETOM Trio to the MAGNETOM Prisma’s latest technology.
The equipment has advanced gradient performance combining 80mT/m and a slew rate of 200T/m/s simultaneously. A combination of high gradient strength and fast gradient switching speed allows for increased image quality in areas such as diffusion imaging, capturing minor diffusion effects with high gradient strength. To make full use of this potential, the new Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI) application makes it possible to resolve fine anatomical details of the brain, such as crossing white-matter fibres by using up to 514 diffusion encoding directions.
In addition to revealing new insights into brain function, the MAGNETOM Prisma also has potential in the research fields of body physiology, organ morphometry, tissue metabolism and quantitative MRI with its image quality derived not only from the gradient strength, but also advanced shimming solutions that allow for fine and effective compensation of patient-induced field disturbances.
It is based on a single echnological platform with the 3-Tesla system, the MAGNETOM Skyra. The Prisma is designed primarily for clinical research, for instance in neurology, while the Skyra is for advanced clinical imaging. Both systems are equipped with TimTX TrueShape parallel transmit technology and syngo ZOOMit, providing better image quality and shorter examination times.
The system is also equipped with Tim 4G, the fourth generation of Siemens’ integrated coil technology. With a new head-neck coil with 64 receive channels for this system as well as for the MAGNETOM Skyra, users can combine up to 84 receive channels in a single scan when combining it with the standard body and spine coils – the highest number of receive channels currently available on the market. Supported by 64 or 128 receive channels, image quality can be substantially increased while reducing scan time.
Jane Kilkenny, MRI product manager at Siemens Healthcare, said: “The MAGNETOM Prisma features excellent image quality and further benefits from the inclusion of a number of technologies such as TimTX TrueShape and syngo ZOOMit for detailed incite of specific parts of the body. We look forward to releasing it to the European healthcare market.”