Siemens Healthineers debuted the MAGNETOM RT Pro edition of its MAGNETOM Vida MR scanner this week at the 59th American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting, touting a new, redesigned magnet and an expanded field of view for imaging larger areas of the body in one shot.

“Contrary to some other companies that basically innovate the covers and under the hood it’s basically the same, this system is really brand new,” Martin Tasler, global product marketing director for radiation oncology at Siemens Healthineers, told HCB News during a reveal of the system on the show floor at the San Diego Convention Center.

The system received FDA clearance in June, along with the company’s MAGNETOM Vida 3T scanner.
The 55x55x50 field of view allows for a shorter acquisition time, Tasler said.

“The zone that you can image by positioning the patient just once is much larger than in the previous systems,” Tasler said. “If you want to cover a certain area that’s larger than the field of view of the machine, you have to do one step first and then another step. The problem is, this takes more time. If your field of view is larger, you can maybe do it in one shot. Of course, for the patient, it’s much nicer if he doesn’t have to stay for very long on the machine. These patients are very ill. They often have pain, so lying on a flat tabletop in the machine is not very comfortable.”

Siemens also introduced new high-channel flexible coils that provide a better signal-to-noise ratio, leading to better image quality.

The system includes an optional high performance 60/200 XT gradient system for reducing geometric distortion and providing more detail at a faster rate.

The MAGNETOM RT Pro edition also features the company’s new BioMatrix Technology, which takes into account the physiological and anatomical differences between patients, providing a more personalized approach to MR scanning.

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