Marconi touts dual-slice Mx8000 CT scanner

Marconi Medical Systems has expanded its Mx8000 CT scanner to offer dual-slice capability at a lower price than its existing premium quad-slice configuration.

"We changed the detector system and put in a system optimized for two-slice," said Bill Kulp, CT marketing manager.

The platform is identical to that of the four-slice scanner. Its modular design makes it upgradable from dual-slice to quad-slice and beyond, Kulp said.

"There is no need to retrain the technologist, no need to change the siting plans or cooling schemes," he said. "It takes about two days (to upgrade from dual-slice to quad-slice) because of calibrations, etc. You can do it over the weekend."

The dual-slice Mx8000 will essentially replace Marconi's standard MxTwin, which was taken off the market last week. The MxTwin was developed by Elscint, whose CT technology Marconi (then Picker International) acquired two years ago. About 1000 MxTwins were sold, Kulp said. The company began full production of the Mx8000 in July 1999.

Marconi will sell the dual-slice Mx8000 for about $750,000 without options. The original quad-slice model lists for about $1 million.

"This is the gateway to new applications," Kulp said. "Facilities can get to multislice and do things they can't do with single-slice, such as cardiac imaging and perfusion CT for stroke analysis. This is a way to get there without spending a million dollars."