GE Healthcare has launched the latest version in PET/CT technology with the Discovery PET/CT 600. The product is part of the GE's Discovery family of scanners designed to enable earlier detection and accurate monitoring of disease with leading molecular imaging technology in both hardware and software.

Its features include a MotionFree technology, using high-sensitivity scintillators, ultra-fast reconstruction enabled by the IBM BladeCenter and the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of the GE LightSpeed CT technology. The product was recently showcased at the 94th annual Radiological Society of North America Annual in Chicago.

"Our effort is to provide the most clinically-relevant tools. MotionFree is a latest series of technologies that make accurate lesion detection easier. We have also raised the bar in terms of optimized workflow and simplified calibration. Therefore an installation of Discovery PET/CT 600 is an efficient choice for hospitals and clinics," stated Henry Hummel, general manager, GE Healthcare's global PET/CT business.

For clinicians, the Discovery PET/CT 600 will provides a full 70cm PET and CT Field-of-View and a patient table capable of holding patients up to 500 lbs. It also provides an increased vertical scan range with additional flexibility in patient positioning for radiation treatment planning.

For administrators, the new scanner offers several key advantages, including extremely quick start-up time and faster image reconstruction, allowing for more efficient workflow.

The IBM BladeCenter offers opportunity for upgrades in the future. The BladeCenter was designed in collaboration with IBM for this first-ever application in a PET/CT scanner.

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Its expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies helps clinicians to predict, diagnose, inform, treat and monitor disease. Headquartered in the UK, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company.