GE’s “SPIN” Technology Allows Cardiologists to Diagnose Heart Disease With Less Radiation and Contrast Media
Clinical Research Demonstrates a 27 Percent Reduction in Radiation Dose With GE’s InnovaSpin™
WASHINGTON, D.C. and WAUKESHA, Wis. – According to a research study presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington DC, a new imaging technique developed by GE Medical Systems provides cardiologists with a multi-dimensional view of the heart while significantly reducing the amount of radiation and contrast media used during an angiogram.
Approximately 4.5 million diagnostic angiograms are performed each year in the U.S. to identify the presence of heart disease and help determine the proper course of treatment. During an angiogram, the cardiologist injects dye into the patient’s blood vessels and takes images of the heart as the dye flows through the vessels. The images reveal lesions or blockages that are impeding normal blood flow.
The new technology from GE, known as InnovaSpin™, fundamentally changes the way in which these medical images are acquired. Developed for GE’s Innova 2000 all-digital cardiovascular imaging system, InnovaSpin allows the system to rotate around the patient and acquire multiple images within seconds using one injection of contrast media.
The efficiency of the InnovaSpin technique allows cardiologists to capture more data in a single rotational sequence, or “spin,” thereby reducing the number of sequences needed to thoroughly diagnose a patient’s heart condition. In addition, the large number imaging angles produced by InnovaSpin creates a multi-dimensional view of heart.
A research study to evaluate InnovaSpin’s ability to reduce radiation dosage and contrast media was conducted earlier this year by Dr. Mark Midei, MD, FACC, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, and Interventional Cardiologist at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland.
Dr. Midei performed diagnostic angiograms on 33 patients. Approximately half the patients received a traditional diagnostic angiogram on an Innova 2000 system while the other half were examined on an Innova 2000 with InnovaSpin technology. The two patient groups were composed of people of similar body types, age, gender and a balanced distribution of normal and abnormal cases.
According to the research results, the InnovaSpin enabled Dr. Midei to:
Reduce radiation dose by 27% (avg.)
Reduce contrast volume by 25% (avg.)
Reduce the number of acquisitions by 50% (avg.)
“The results showed a significant improvement with the InnovaSpin technology,” says Dr. Midei. “This is a very exciting advancement that can help cardiologists better visualize the heart while reducing radiation exposure and contrast media in both routine and difficult cases.”
In the study, Dr. Midei found that an average of three spins with InnovaSpin acquired diagnostic data equivalent to six separate acquisitions in a traditional exam.
“The combination of more efficient image acquisition, less contrast media and less radiation dose is a considerable achievement,” said Dr. Midei. “These efficiencies are accomplished while maintaining Innova 2000’s proven image quality, which allows me to visualize the heart with unprecedented detail and provide life-critical procedures with confidence.”
GE’s Innova 2000 system is the world’s most advanced cardiovascular imaging system utilizing an all-digital flat panel detector to produce extremely detailed images of the heart. The system’s 20 centimeter-square detector allows a cardiologist to visualize the entire heart in a single view. The Innova 2000 is the only flat panel cardiovascular imaging system proven to significantly reduce radiation dose – even before the introduction of InnovaSpin.
Today, more than 500 Innova 2000 systems are in use worldwide, approximately ten times more than any other flat panel cardiovascular imaging system. InnovaSpin is compatible with all Innova 2000 systems in use today.
“Innova 2000 and GE’s digital flat panel detector technology have opened the door to a new way of seeing the heart and InnovaSpin represents the first advanced application for this breakthrough technology,” says Brad Fox, General Manager of Cardiovascular Imaging at GE Medical. “Our goal is to continue expanding this technology’s capability to set new standards for image quality, clinical confidence and patient safety.”
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is a $9 billion global leader in medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, electron beam tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information, visit the GE Medical Systems Web site at www.gemedical.com
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