GE Healthcare expands Alcyone reach with Global installations

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GE Healthcare announced today the first installations of its new cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) based SPECT/CT nuclear cardiology camera featuring Alcyone Technology, the Discovery NM/CT 570c.  This revolutionary imaging system has been installed at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel and University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Discovery NM/CT 570c features the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of GE’s LightSpeed VCT in conjunction with the groundbreaking Alcyone technology.  This revolutionary system ushers in the first generation of volume SPECT/CT technology, opening the door to new procedure possibilities in non-invasive cardiac imaging beyond those offered by conventional SPECT or SPECT/CT scanners.

The system has the ability to perform a complete cardiac scan in less than five minutes acquisition time including myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), Attenuation Correction, Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA), and calcium scoring (CaSC). The speed and comprehensive nature of this procedure represents a significant improvement in patient care and diagnostic confidence.

“For hybrid exams, positioning the patient only once into the scanner is a great benefit and can minimize patient time in the department,” said Professor Philipp Kaufmann, director of nuclear cardiology at Zurich University Hospital.  “With Alcyone technology, combining a high speed nuclear device with a CT will give cardiac centers the opportunity to optimize their SPECT/CT cardiac protocol and offer a complete assessment which is critical to evaluate the relevance of an invasive treatment."

The Discovery NM/CT 570c provides the flexibility to manage dose more effectively by taking advantage of advances in both SPECT and CT technology. It reduces registration and motion artifacts by positioning the patient on the same table, and enables more convenient patient scheduling in comparison to separate, conventional SPECT and CT exams.

Professor Kaufmann added, "The new technology offers the possibility to significantly reduce the radiation dose, especially for younger patients, where the impact could be the greatest.”

Alcyone technology brings together a breakthrough design based on combining CZT detectors, focused pin-hole collimation, stationary data acquisition and 3D reconstruction, to improve workflow, dose management, and overall image quality. Unlike conventional nuclear imaging, all views are acquired simultaneously during a fully stationary SPECT acquisition, eliminating equipment movement during the scan and reducing the risk of motion artifacts.  CZT detectors directly convert gamma rays into digital signals, eliminating the need for photomultiplier tubes, but maintaining high stopping power to deliver improved energy, spatial and temporal resolution.

"Our Discovery NM/CT 570c was created to give users the productivity and clinical confidence necessary to meet the growing needs within nuclear cardiology,” said Nathan Hermony, general manager of GE Healthcare’s Nuclear Cardiology business. “Alcyone technology is a commitment to the future, and we’re proud to be leading this commitment."

The Discovery NM/CT 570c is the second in the family of revolutionary Alcyone cameras.  The Discovery NM 530c was introduced in March 2009 as the SPECT only version, with twelve installations globally.

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GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems. Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com .

For More Information Contact
Kathleen N DeRitter
kathleen.n.deritter@ge.com
GE Healthcare414-721-2428.