Philips Gets FDA Nod for MRI Head and Neck Radiotherapy Application

MRCAT Head and Neck, an artificial intelligence (AI) application that emphasizes primary or sole use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the planning of radiotherapy procedures involving head or neck tumors, has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Philips, the manufacturer of the MR for Calculating Attenuation (MRCAT) application, noted a number of benefits including:

• strong soft tissue contrast that helps delineate target tissue and organs at risk;

• AI-aided computation of attenuation maps similar to what one would expect from computed tomography (CT);

• easy image acquisition with a standardized single, multi-contrast 3D T1W mDIXON scan; and

• scan times that take less than three minutes.

“The superior soft tissue imaging of MR together with advances in the integration and orchestration of data, including the use of artificial intelligence, promise greater clarity and less subjectivity in planning radiotherapy for head and neck cancer,” noted Ilya Gipp, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of oncology solutions at Philips.

(Editor’s note: For a related article, see “A Closer Look at Ultrasound and MRI Alternatives for Head and Neck Imaging.”)

In a related development, Philips said its MR Head Neck Coil is compatible with the new DSPS (Double Shell Positioning System)-Prominent™ from MacroMedics, facilitating a combination of patient comfort, positional accuracy, and high-resolution image quality.