Mhealthcare over the past three decades, allowing doctors diagnosis to speed up. It is now the essential diagnostic tool for many illnesses and has a significant role in predicting, monitoring and improving patient outcomes. It includes many imaging modalities, having different physical principles of varying complexity. The detail and sensitivity of these techniques is of utmost importance, and the use of imagery for ultrastructural diagnostics, nanotechnology, functional and quantitative diagnostics and molecular medicine is steadily increasing.

Computed tomography (CT) systems’ market is set to rise from $3.6 billion in 2016 to around $12.1 billion by 2023, representing a compound annual growth rate of 18.2 per cent, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. GlobalData’s latest report depicts this rapid growth, occurring across 39 major markets, will primarily be driven by an increased interest in high-slice CT systems due to wider applications and improved patient throughput, heightened usage of CT, particularly in countries with emerging economies, and strong anticipated growth in the number of annual CT scans due to increasing disease burdens and aging populations.
Sarah Janer, GlobalData’s Analyst covering Medical Devices, notes, “The improving capabilities offered by high-slice systems will lead to hospitals upgrading from low-slice scanners as automated workflow, and enhanced image quality remain important driving factors of the market.

“Although in the past researchers have warned of the over-utilization of CT due to radiation concerns, the number of CT examinations has remained steadily high in recent years. New technology offers ever-improving capabilities such as lowered radiation dose, high resolution images and spectral imaging.”

REVOLUTION CT

One such device revolutionizing the imaging industry is GE Healthcare’s Revolution CT scanner introduced at Arab Health 2014, a first-of-its-kind computed tomography (CT) system capturing a motion free image of the human heart in just one beat, combining broad coverage, high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution technology into an ‘all in one’ CT system. This innovative technology enables clinicians to non-invasively visualize the human heart more clearly than ever before, and diagnose more patients with irregular or high heart beats.
The scanning device is also designed from the ground up, providing uncompromised image quality and clinical capabilities across all clinical areas through the convergence of whole organ coverage, speed and image quality, all in one CT system.

According to published literature (the British Journal of Radiology), more than 60 per cent of patients referred to cardiac CT today were found to have heart rates higher than 60 beats per minute, and some are turned away from being scanned. With Revolution CT, clinicians can clearly see specific areas of the heart that were previously compromised either by a patient’s movement, high heart rate, or a child’s inability to hold his or her breath.

Maher Abouzeid, President and CEO of GE Healthcare for the eastern growth markets, said, “It is estimated that the cost of non-communicable diseases across the GCC region will reach over US$36 billion, and the financial burden to diagnose and treat them is expected to increase to US$68 billion by 2022, if timely measures are not taken. Cardiovascular diseases account for nearly 28 per cent of the direct costs and 25 per cent of the indirect costs.”

IMAGE ACCURACY

The broad coverage of Revolution CT allows healthcare providers to scan entire organs such as the brain, heart, liver and pancreas. With the Gemstone Clarity detector, Revolution CT can achieve 0.23 mm spatial resolution across the full 50 cm FOV. Also, the speed of this new technology allows providers to gather information about function as well as anatomy, enabling a comprehensive stroke assessment of the brain in a single exam.

LOW RADIATION EMISSION

The Revolution CT is engineered with technological advances including the 16 cm Gemstone* Clarity detector for whole organ coverage, best-in-class spatial resolution at 230 microns for visualizing small anatomy, and a 0.28 second gantry designed and tested for up to 0.2 sec rotation speed.

Combined with SnapShot* Freeze motion correction technology, the system delivers 24 msec effective temporal resolution for high heart rate imaging without restrictions.

Revolution CT is the convergence of four things: whole organ coverage, speed, image quality and spectral imaging. Revolution CT features a unique image chain hardware with Volume HD reconstruction and next generation ASiR-V technology to enable excellent image quality across the entire 160 mm coverage while reducing dose up to 82 per cent.

In clinical practice, the use of ASiR-V may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task.

Patient anxiety is also reduced with 50 per cent quieter scanning, soft ambient lighting, personalized gantry displays, and a relaxing visual pattern inside the bore. The bore is 80 cm wide, comfortably accommodating large patients.

“The Revolution CT continues GE’s commitment to even lower CT doses, with innovations such as the new Gemstone Clarity detector, a dedicated 70kVp scan mode for paediatric use, and ASiR-V*, GE’s next generation of iterative reconstruction technology. For the patient, the system provides a wider, more comfortable 80cm bore and a quiet scanning experience with the new Whisper Drive system. Ultra-fast scanning with streamlined workflow makes it a perfect scanner for emergency rooms,” affirms Mr Maher.

CLINICAL CAPABILITIES

Revolution CT helps physician’s diagnosis across all applications:
1 Cardiac exams in a single heart beat
2 Whole brain imaging in less than a second
3 Low dose, complete organ diagnosis and follow-up for oncology patients
4 Detailed bone imaging, even for patients with metal implants
5 Sedation-free and low dose scans for paediatric patients.
6 Material characterization and artefact reduction.

“In a cost-constrained healthcare environment, clinicians need one definitive test that gives them the diagnostic confidence to make the right treatment decision for their patients. GE Healthcare’s Revolution CT makes this possible through the convergence of spatial resolution, temporal resolution, coverage, and low dose all-in-one, providing uncompromised image quality and clinical capabilities.
“The convergence achieved by Revolution CT enables comprehensive cardiac exams with anatomic and functional information in just one heartbeat, even with challenging patients and higher heart rates; rapid, whole-brain stroke assessment at low dose and dynamic liver, kidney, or pancreas oncology workup personalized with perfusion and vascular flow analysis,” says Mr. Maher.

PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY

Revolution CT enables clinicians to deliver exceptional image quality for some of the most challenging clinical applications. This opens doors to more examinations, including high heart-rate cardiac, stroke, trauma and paediatric patients.

When used in the emergency department for evaluating patients presenting with chest pain, coronary CT imaging has been shown to reduce the length of stay, speed discharge and reduce costs.

Revolution CT may also reduce the need for additional imaging tests by acquiring functional and anatomical information from a single exam.
ANSWERING HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES

Cardiac disease, diabetes, obesity are major concerns in the GCC region. Revolution CT, with its unique features, like one beat cardiac, large size bore and 16 cm coverage is the optimal system to answer these healthcare challenges.

Both public and private healthcare sectors within UAE specifically and the Middle East have Revolution CT installed, and according to the company, the feedback so far is more than excellent, users are very happy with image quality, low dose and the ease of the use and unique capabilities of the Revolution CT especially when scanning challenging patients.

OTHER IMAGING DEVICES

GE just introduced Revolution CT with Gemstone TM Spectral Imaging (GSI)* Xtream Revolution CT. Like its forerunner, it provides very high image quality and clinical capabilities across all clinical areas through the convergence of whole organ coverage, speed, image quality and spectral imaging all in one CT system. Revolution CT with GSI Xtream features Smart Technologies and comprehensive stroke and trauma capabilities focused on the main clinical outcomes. GSI Xtream optimizes contrast volumes and reduces beam hardening from solid objects such as metal and perform material characterization. The GSI Xtream on Revolution CT is not CE marked and is not available for sale in all regions.

Providing transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access, GE Healthcare enhances quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. From medical imaging, software & IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients.