TORONTO, CANADA - GE Healthcare introduced today, Discovery STE, the latest addition to the company’s market leading modular PET/CT platform, at the 2005 Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) conference in Toronto. The new Discovery STE provides physicians with a wide range of clinically relevant capabilities and true hybrid imaging flexibility, allowing them the opportunity to diagnose patients with cancer, heart disease, and neurological conditions earlier and better and to monitor a patient’s course of treatment.

GE was the first to commercially introduce PET/CT imaging in 2001, an advanced technology that integrates a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) system with a Computed Tomography (CT) system. To date, more than 500 GE Discovery PET/CT systems have been installed at medical facilities worldwide, including seven of the top ten cancer centers in the U.S.

The new Discovery STE system is an elite clinical performance configuration, built on the foundation of Discovery ST. Discovery STE delivers a balanced system design of high sensitivity, resolution and count-rate performance. Its powerful processing & acquisition capabilities make Discovery STE the ideal system for growing procedure demands in neurology and cardiology, without sacrificing the requirements of a premier oncology system.

“The scanner provides an incredible combination of performance specifications, one which compliments our tracer and clinical investigations,” said Mika Teras Ph.D., Turku Imaging Laboratory Manager.

With the Discovery STE system, physicians are provided clinically relevant choices to image a broad range of patient population with a variety of clinical conditions.

With the Discovery STE system, physicians are provided clinically relevant choices to image a broad range of patient population with a variety of clinical conditions.

“Discovery STE provides the opportunity for us to ensure an excellent examination for any patient that enters our facility, regardless of their clinical imaging need,” said Prof. Juhani Knuuti M.D., Director Turku PET Centre in Finland.

At the heart of the Discovery STE is the revolutionary Discovery Dimension Console, fully integrated to optimize PET/CT workflow. The new Discovery Dimension Console provides a wider range of choices to meet patient’s clinical needs, enabling clinicians to:

• Acquire radiology prescription diagnostic IV Contrast CT images during the PET/CT study, so that patients are subjected to fewer exams and less dose.

• Tailor the CT X-ray dose to each patient, a capability that can result in up to 40% less dose.

• Simultaneously complete a static image and 4D motion study in one acquisition, eliminating the need for multiple studies.

• Perform advanced image reconstruction techniques of 2D and 3D for excellent image quality on every patient exam

• View completely reconstructed 2D and 3D images during the exam. Allowing image review while the patient is still on the table, due to GE’s new, patented VUE Point reconstruction.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare’s expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and helping physicians tailor treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.

GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.