GE Healthcare introduces new series of BrightSpeed CT systems

Introduced in the Middle East at the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress 2006 in Dubai, the new series of Computed Tomography (CT) systems includes much of the proven advanced technology available on the company's Volume CT system - the LightSpeed VCT now available in a smaller package.

The BrightSpeed™ provides the same exceptional image quality, productivity capabilities and reliability of the industry-leading LightSpeed systems, but on the new BrightSpeed™ 4-, 8- and 16-slice CT systems.

According to Gene Saragnese, Vice President and General Manager of the company's global Molecular Imaging and CT business, "GE's new BrightSpeed™ series is powerful, easy-to-use and uncompromised."

"The BrightSpeed™ series features all of the imaging and productivity capabilities physicians love about the LightSpeed systems," said Saragnese.

"GE Healthcare has re-imagined multi-detector CT capabilities by developing the BrightSpeed™ series, which will be attractive to a broader audience of healthcare facilities, including community hospitals and outpatient imaging centers that may have space constraints and require a quicker return on investment. This is smarter technology that will result in a brighter future for our customers."

The new BrightSpeed™ scanners include exclusive Volara Digital Data Acquisition System (DAS) and the Xtream™ FX workflow platform. "By bringing the innovations of our LightSpeed VCT to the new BrightSpeed™ family, we are giving more clinicians access to significantly enhanced image quality and, in turn, helping them provide better patient care," added Saragnese.

The BrightSpeed™ scanners can be installed in a similar footprint to a single-slice CT system, offering clinicians sophisticated CT performance without the need to renovate or enlarge existing radiology departments. According to Saragnese, the BrightSpeed™ series sets a high standard with better image quality for high-resolution, optimal-dose imaging. The BrightSpeed™ series also offers productivity tools to facilitate review and communication, such as Direct Volume Visualization with Direct Multi-Planar Reformat (DMPR).

Wide Open Workflow Platform

Included in the BrightSpeed™ series is the Wide Open Workflow with Xtream™ FX. It is the second generation of GE's Xtream workflow technology, providing imaging departments the ability to keep pace with the large volume of data generated by multi-detector CT systems. A tool such as DMPR helps customers to improve interpretation efficiency and provides views that may be more familiar to referring physicians and surgeons. Xtream™ FX adds more "effects" to GE's scalable Xtream reconstruction engine, which revolutionized workflow design with increased speed, image quality and workflow flexibility. BrightSpeed™ is now commercially available in the Middle East.