Siemens showcases 3T, 1.5T scanners

Siemens Healthcare is focusing on its 3T Verio and 1.5T Essenza at the ISMRM meeting. Both were unveiled last year at the RSNA meeting.

Twenty of the wide-bore 3T scanners are operating, even though Verio began shipping only last month. Essenza sites are also running in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

Verio's 70-cm bore offers more patient-friendly positioning, according to the company, while its off-center scanning with dedicated coils shortens the workflow and improves data acquisition. Its ultracompact magnet, measuring 173 cm long, has the footprint of a 1.5T MRI system. All told, it weighs a relatively light six tons.

The scanner comes equipped with the company's own breed of coil technology, based on Tim (total imaging matrix) technology, which supports up to 102 integrated matrix coil elements and up to 32 radiofrequency channels.

Priced under a million dollars, Essenza's appeal is as an inexpensive 1.5T workhorse. The company is targeting budget-strapped first-time buyers who otherwise might purchase refurbished or low-end technology, as well as institutions that already have MR but want to increase capacity and decrease waiting times for patients.