GE Medical Systems Announces FDA Clearance for New Lung and Cardiac Applications in CT
The Latest in a Wave of Advanced Techniques for the LightSpeed Ultra CT Scanner
CHICAGO- GE Medical Systems continues to break new ground in computed tomography (CT) applications with two new techniques – CardIQ Function and Advanced Lung Analysis – that recently received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both are now available for use on GE’s LightSpeed™ Ultra CT scanner and Advantage Workstation.
The CardIQ Function technique uses the image data acquired during a CT coronary angiography exam to assist physicians in assessing cardiac function. CardIQ Function uses short-axis images to calculate and display critical functional parameters, including end systolic and end diastolic volumes, stroke volume, LV ejection fraction including peak filling and ejection rates, myocardial mass calculations, and regional wall motion display and analysis.
“CardIQ Function is another step forward in the fight against cardiac disease, a major cause of death and disability for millions of people each year,” said Peter Arduini, General Manager of Global CT Business at GE Medical Systems. “The quick availability of such detailed information about how the patient’s heart is functioning will greatly assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions.”
The new Advanced Lung Analysis application applies a standardized measurement protocol that measures the volume of nodule growth in three dimensions, and provides an estimation of the volume doubling time.
“Advanced Lung Analysis gives physicians a consistent and highly accurate tool to assess changes in tissue volume over time, which will assist decision-making throughout the diagnostic and treatment process,” said Arduini.
These techniques are just the latest in a continuing stream of new applications approved for use with the LightSpeed Ultra scanner.
CT Colonography, approved earlier this year, enables physicians to scan the entire abdomen non-invasively in 10-20 seconds to detect the location and size of polyps and lesions. According to Arduini, nearly 80% of the population either can’t physically tolerate or won’t agree to have an invasive endoscopic exam, the customary method for diagnosing colon disease. “CT Colonography provides a fast, accurate, and non-invasive alternative for those patients,” he says.
Another new application is CT Perfusion 2 which assess blood volume and permeability in both the brain and body. This information, says Arduini, can help physicians evaluate a wide range of clinical scenarios, from the extent of ischemia in patients with stroke symptoms to the progress of drug therapy in slowing tumor growth.
When the applications are used with the new LightSpeed Ultra CT scanner, patients and clinicians alike will benefit from a quick, accurate diagnosis, due to the system's fast scan times, thin-slices and low-dose capabilities. LightSpeed Ultra is the world’s first CT scanner capable of gathering eight channels of data at up to 16 slices per second. Physicians can obtain slices that are half the thickness of those produced by conventional four-channel CT systems in the same amount of time. This results in a higher level of detail, so physicians can see small changes in anatomy that may signal disease or trauma.
“Our goal with LightSpeed Ultra has always been to benefit the widest number of patients with faster exams, lower dose, and advanced applications,” said Arduini. “The LightSpeed platform is opening the door to an entire body – literally – of new techniques that are improving neurological, cardiac, vascular, pediatric, trauma, and chest/abdomen/pelvis studies.”
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global leader in medical information and technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, healthcare information systems, patient monitoring systems, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography (PET), and nuclear medicine. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high-quality medical technology, services and productivity solutions. For more information, visit the GE Medical Systems Web site at
gemedical.com.
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