At the recent Siemens Healthineers Shape 22 event, the company introduced Magnetom Free.Star, a cost-effective whole-body MRI scanner, designed to significantly increase access to magnetic resonance imaging, particularly in rural areas and less-developed countries. The scanner is, however, currently under development and not commercially available.
Together with Magnetom Free.Max, Magnetom Free.Star is part of a new generation
of scanners which achieve excellent image quality with a low magnetic field strength
combined with advanced digital technologies. The two MRIs are based on the “High-V
MRI” platform and are the smallest and most lightweight whole-body scanners that Siemens Healthineers has built.
“Right now, more than half of the world’s population has no access to MRI examinations. The limiting factors include installation and operating costs as well as the lack of qualified personnel, just to name a few. I believe that every person in every country should have access to MR imaging. With Magnetom Free.Star, we are launching a scanner that is cost-effective and, thanks to artificial intelligence, so easy to use that even less experienced personnel can utilize its full potential,” said Arthur Kaindl, Head of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Siemens Healthineers.
Simple and cost-effective installation and operation
Magnetom Free.Star, like Magnetom Free.Max, belongs to a new generation of High-V- MRI scanners from Siemens Healthineers which combine a low field strength of 0.55 Tesla with the power of digital AI. Magnetom Free.Star uses Dry-Cool magnet technology, which requires less than one litre of liquid helium to cool the MRI. Previously, several hundred litres were required for cooling. Additionally, the installation of a safety related quench pipe is not necessary. The quench pipe allowed the discharge of the helium into the open air in case of an emergency. Because the compact systems can be rolled through normal hospital doors in many places, installation is much simpler than with the larger MRI scanners, which often require building reconstruction in order to house them. The significantly lower helium requirement and reduced energy consumption adds a positive effect on operating costs as well. The costs over the entire life cycle of the system are up to
30 percent lower than with conventional scanners, according to Siemens.
Magnetom Free.Star and the High-V MRI platform
Magnetom Free.Star, with a patient bore of 60 cm, combines all the technological innovations of the new High-V MRI plat- form. The field strength of 0.55 Tesla offers high diagnostic value when used with AI-based reconstruction algorithms such as Deep Resolve Sharp. It raises the image quality to a level that could previously only be achieved with significantly higher field strengths. In addition, this new field strength offers advantages for clinical fields such as implant and lung imaging.
Digital innovations such as myExam Companion, which significantly simplifies the operation and adjustment of the scanner, are designed to make it more accessible to inexperienced operators.
Remote diagnostic services as a supplement
Siemens Healthineers wants to significantly lower barriers to entry for access to
MR imaging with solutions such as WeScan, a remote scanning service, as well as
a remote reading and reporting service. These optional remote services can support healthcare providers in remote operation of the MRI scanner and tele-diagnosis
of clinical images.
