Guildford, UK - Philips Healthcare, together with its approved partner Lamboo Mobile Medical, has recently received an order from Cobalt to build a mobile unit containing the Philips Ingenia 3.0T MRI system. When operational, it will represent the world’s first Ingenia 3.0T to be housed in a mobile unit.
Over the years, Philips has worked closely with Cobalt, and together they have registered a number of ‘firsts’ including being the first in Europe to purchase a 1.5T mobile unit, first to put a 3.0T into a mobile in Europe and in November of last year, they became the world’s first to have a Philips mobile Ingenia 1.5T with digital broadband technology.
Peter Sharpe, Chief Executive of Cobalt, commenting on the service that they provide, says, “The Ingenia is a terrific system with stunning images. The flexibility offered by our existing mobile unit has been incredibly popular. We are able to give NHS Trusts access to premium quality technology and with this new unit we will enable Trusts to increase their flexiblilty and tackle more specialist imaging in areas such as neuro and orthopaedic, providing them with excellent image quality, speed and workflow and no compromises for general imaging.”
The new Philips Ingenia 3.0T comes with a host of innovative features including dStream, a digital RF chain where the fibre optics start at the coil, making the Ingenia channel independent. Comprising DirectDigital, FlexStream and EasyExpand, dStream is an exciting new MR system architecture that delivers crystal clear images, and remarkable speed and technology, that makes RF upgrades a thing of the past. In addition Philips’ Xtend offers the largest homogeneous FOV for a 70cm bore, combining patient comfort with extended coverage and high image quality, providing an excellent combination of magnet homogeneity and gradient performance. SmartAssist is the next generation of easy-to-use SmartExam and SmartCard software that helps the user to reduce the number of repetitive tasks by half for greater efficiency, reproducibility and consistency. In addition, MultiTransmit brings the benefits of MultiTransmit technology to Torso imaging, previously presenting a challenge at high field, and 4D MultiTransmit providing the solution to cardiac imaging. It adapts RF signals to each patient, addressing dielectric shading to provide superb image uniformity, contrast and consistency, as well as faster imaging.
Peter Sharpe continues, “The digital dStream is fantastic architecture. It not only delivers superb image quality and speed but the digitisation in the coil and the use of fibre optic cables provides a higher SNR, which can also be used to reduce scan times. We have a great relationship with Philips Healthcare; it is a genuine partnership and the support we get from the whole Philips team is really valuable. That personal touch gives us the added confidence to invest in the latest cutting-edge technology that Philips is known for. We are also delighted to be once more working with Lamboo and their innovative approach the mobile MRI technology”
Lamboo Mobile Medical worked with Philips on the delivery of the Ingenia 1.5T unit using its ‘sandwich technology’. The new 3.0T Ingenia will also be built according to the latest available technology and will use the same ‘sandwich technology’, providing many operational advantages. The state-of-the-art unit will also be designed to support high quality treatment for patients, maximum comfort for the staff and also fulfil Cobalt’s ‘green’ objectives, with a unique chassis that uses less fuel during transportation.
A registered charity, established over forty years ago, Cobalt now has five Philips mobile MRI systems serving National Health Service hospitals across the UK. Cobalt’s state of the art imaging centre in Cheltenham also boasts the first independent 3.0T clinical MRI scanner, the first Philips Gemini GXL open PET/CT scanner and the first Panorama high-field open MRI scanner in the UK.
