GE Healthcare

(Booth 5529) GE Healthcare of Chalfont St. Giles, U.K., will introduce its new LightSpeed CT750 HD scanner, which produces images with up to a 230-micron resolution to improve visualization of anatomic structures as small as 2 mm in size.

CT750 HD features GE's Gemstone Spectral Imaging detector, made from modified garnet gemstones. Initial tests reveal enhanced-resolution images with up to 47% greater detail in the heart while offering an 83% reduction in radiation dose for cardiac scans, and up to a 50% dose reduction in body scans, according to company materials.

The system is designed to reduce beam-hardening artifacts normally created by high-contrast objects such as bone, metal, or iodine to offer more accurate anatomical information.

CT750 HD received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance in May 2008 and is currently available worldwide.

Also look for GE to emphasize dose-reduction strategies, such as adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), a reconstruction technique that can reduce dose across the body by 50%; SnapShot Pulse, a prospectively triggered step-and-shoot mode that reduces dose for cardiac exams by up to 83%; and VolumeShuttle, which doubles area coverage in brain CT perfusion studies, reducing dose by up to 24%.

Finally, LightSpeed Xtra is a wide-bore, multipurpose CT scanner designed for routine CT scans, interventional procedures, radiation therapy planning, or scanning trauma and large obese patients. The scanner has an 80-cm bore opening, optional 650 lb table, and 800 mA peak power rating.