GERMANY —Siemens Healthineers has unveiled its two latest magnetic resonance tomographs designed for clinical and scientific use at the Siemens Healthineers Shape 23 Keynote.
The two MRI scanners include Magnetom Cima.X2 with 3T field strength and Magnetom Terra.X1 with 7T.
Due to their high field strengths and strong gradient performance, both scanners will be optimal for detecting the finest structures in the body more clearly.
“By introducing AI-based algorithms on these high-end scanners for the first time, we reduce the scanning time in MRI by up to 50%, while improving image quality,” says Arthur Kaindl, Head of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Siemens Healthineers.
The 3T Magnetom Cima.X uses Siemens’ strongest gradient. It features an amplitude of 200 mT/m and a slew rate of 200 T/m/s. The company said this registers 2.5 times higher than the current strongest MRI from Siemens Healthineers.
According to Siemens, a high gradient helps to better understand neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
It can visualize so-called microstructures more clearly and play a major role in understanding diseases, the company said.
Magnetom Terra.X features a field strength of 7T. Siemens Healthineers said this represents the “cutting edge” of commercial MRI.
It succeeds the first 7T clinical system, Magnetom Terra, launched by Siemens in 2017.
The system’s higher signal at 7T enables high-resolution imaging for body parts like the head, helping to detect small lesions Even in knee imaging, the system can aid in the decision for or against surgery. Siemens Healthineers designed it with new hardware and software.
Ultra IQ technology significantly increases the capabilities of a 7T system, Siemens said. Magnetom Terra.X can provide clearly visible findings, even along the edge of images, the company added.
Both scanners offer innovations, including the new Open Recon platform from Siemens.
Siemens Healthineers to overhaul diagnostics division
In separate news, Siemens Healthineers plans to restructure its diagnostics business division citing external headwinds that are outweighing operational improvements.
The overhaul is expected to save around 300 million euros (US$310.8 million) each year by 2025, with one-time costs anticipated.
“At diagnostics, we have come to the conclusion that the dramatically changed macroeconomic environment demands immediate and comprehensive measures,” Siemens Healthineers CEO Bernd Montag said.
Montag said the diagnostics division has been hampered by inflation and elevated procurement and logistics costs; logistical constraints and component shortages; a delayed launch of the company’s Atellica CI 1900 laboratory system; and missing revenues due to local COVID-related lockdowns.
He said the company recently started a controlled rollout of the Atellica CI 1900 analyzer in Europe, and more regions are expected to follow soon before the system is fully launched next year.
Following the launch of its Atellica CI 1900 system, Siemens Healthineers plans to simplify the portfolio by taking older systems off the market. That means a reduction of the Erlangen, Germany-based company’s diagnostic platforms by more than 50% over time.
“Our portfolio complexity has been a particular burden in the current supply chain environment,” Montag said, adding that the CI 1900 is “a very important piece of the puzzle.”
Other restructuring efforts in the company’s diagnostics business include a focused commercial execution and service approach; improved supply chain efficiency; and leaner, more clinically focused R&D.
While Siemens Healthineers did not specifically mention a workforce reduction, Reuters reported that the plan would involve job cuts and abandoning some locations, citing sources from within the company.
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