Siemens joins short-bore magnet hunt

Like GE and Picker, Siemens Medical Systems (Hall B, #6726) introduced new short-bore MRI magnets in 1997. The Iselin, NJ, company calls its 1.5-tesla scanner Symphony, while its 1-tesla offering is known as Harmony. The superconducting magnets featured on the scanners are slightly over 5 ft long and can been sited in suites as small as 325 sq ft. The 1.5-tesla and 1-tesla configurations weigh 8900 and 7700 lb, respectively.

In the nuclear medicine domain, Siemens will display a single-head version of its E.Cam variable-angle dual-head gamma camera, while the company's ultrasound business unit will debut Sonoline Versa Plus, a new version of its mid-range scanner.

In mammography, Mammomat 3000 will be displayed with the Opdima digital spot option, which received FDA clearance in May. In conventional x-ray, Fluorospot T.O.P. is the company's newest digital imaging upgrade for radiography/fluoroscopy applications and features a 2048 matrix. Multix T.O.P. is a new radiographic system, while Multistar Plus is new operating software for the company's Multistar angiography suite.

Megalix CAT is a new x-ray tube technology for angiography systems based on continuous accelerated anode technology, a liquid bearing design that Siemens believes will confer cost savings through longer tube life. Finally, Angiostar Plus is the company's newest angiography system, consisting of a floor-mounted C-arm for low-cost installation.