To address the two biggest concerns areas of excessive noise and duration patients have to spend during MRI, PET/CT scans, Global Hospitals, a leading healthcare provider in India, launched country’s first wide-bore 3T Silent Scan MRI with MAGiC at their hospital in Perumbakkam, Chennai. The hospital also launched GE Healthcare’s revolutionary Discovery IQ PET/ CT system which can assist in diagnosis, staging and post treatment monitoring of cancer.
 
GE Healthcare’s SIGNA PIONEER MRI system boasts of two innovations: Silent Scan and MAGiC which take patient comfort and convenience to a completely different level.

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr K Ravindranath, chairman, Global Hospitals, Chennai said, “Global Hospitals Group across all its hospitals has always been forefront in introducing new technology for enhancing clinical outcomes. Since inception we have gained the reputation of pioneering and innovating many clinical programs. This has been mainly possible because we believe in investing in new and latest technology that has helped our doctors identify the problem quickly and accurately. The launch today at Global Health City, Chennai is yet another testimony of ours to bring the latest technology for better patient care.”  

A conventional MRI scanner produces noise of about 110 decibels (dBA), rivalling noises from a steel mill, an aircraft engine or heavy traffic on our roads. This loud noise causes patient discomfort and distress, which may affect the quality of scan outcome. GE Healthcare addresses this issue with the help of its exclusive wide-bore Silent Scan technology. This enables a less stressful scanning experience. The noise level produced due to Silent Scan is as low as three decibels above ambient noise level (74 dBA) which is significantly lower compared to conventional MRI scanners. The Silent Scan technology -was co-developed in India, leading a silent revolution in MR technology.

Magnetic Resonance image compilation (MAGiC) is an exclusive GE Healthcare technology that has been introduced for the first time in India. This helps in reducing scanning time by as much as 67%.

Due to this technology a person can undergo a scan in about 5 mins compared to the traditional 16-20 minutes. MAGiC technology is unique as it allows capture of multiple image contrast of a body part through a single scan, instead of one scan for each contrast, thereby significantly reducing the time for scan. MAGiC also gives doctors the flexibility to retrospectively change the contrast even after the scan is completed and the patient is discharged, thus saving the need of re-scan should there be such a requirement from the doctor.

“Based on feedback from clinicians, technicians and patients, we have introduced Silent Scan and MAGiC technologies which puts patients first, giving them great comfort and convenience, We are delighted to partner with a leading healthcare provider like Global Hospitals to bring these latest technologies for the benefit of people in India/ Chennai”, said Milan Rao, president and CEO, GE Healthcare, India and South Asia.

MR Elastography in Signa Pioneer is designed to enable physicians to evaluate relative liver and muscle tissue stiffness which help physicians make an assessment of tissue health before clinical symptoms become visible. MRE is today fast emerging as a reliable alternative to invasive tissue biopsies, with reduced cost, pain and faster results. MRE cost significantly less, is non-invasive and can give results within 30 mins compared to 72 hours for biopsies.

"Acoustic noise is one the biggest complaints by patients that undergo an MRI scan - especially among elderly and children. This loud noise and in addition, being confined in a small space of conventional MRI scanners can make patients feel claustrophobic and makes it difficult for them to hold still during the scan", said Dr. Scott Atlas, MD, Stanford University, Hoover Institute, California, USA. "If the patient moves, this make the MRI exam very challenging and may effect the quality of the scan.  New technologies like Silent Scan and MAGiC, from GE, help to overcome these challenges by making the patient feel more comfortable, relaxed, and reduce the overall scan time, leading to better imaging outcomes.”