Medison enters MRI with 1-tesla magnet

Korean vendor Medison is known primarily for its work in ultrasound,so its debut of a new whole-body MRI scanner at the Chicago meetingshould cause a few heads to turn. Medison will display Magnum,an investigational 1-tesla scanner making its U.S. conferencedebut. The work-in-progress system was developed over the pastyear as a collaboration between Medison engineers in Korea andstaff employed by Medison subsidiary Atlanta MR in Atlanta.

The company installed the second Magnum system last month inKorea and is planning to apply for regulatory clearance in theU.S., according to Prem Anand, Atlanta MR president. The companyis considering possible distribution of Magnum in Latin Americathrough its ultrasound equipment sales force. Atlanta MR is alsodeveloping a 3-tesla whole body scanner for research spectroscopy,Anand said.

Anand joined Atlanta MR in January, shortly after Medison establishedits U.S. MR operation. He is a veteran of Atlanta-based imagingservices firm Health Images, where he was executive vice presidentin charge of engineering, manufacturing, and product development.

In Medison's more traditional ultrasound business, the companywill display Combison 530, the 3-D ultrasound scanner it acquiredwith its purchase of Austrian firm Kretztechnik in April (SCAN5/22/96). Combison 530 is awaiting 510(k) clearance, which Medisonhopes will be forthcoming by the end of this year, according toMark Hayward, president of Medison's U.S. subsidiary in Pleasanton,CA.

Medison will also debut SonoAce 7700, the company's first color-flowscanner. The system is being sold in international markets buthas just entered the FDA's review process, Hayward said.