Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

New innovation designed to power productivity, boost clinical confidence & support UK radiography resource pressures, now and into the future

Canon Medical Systems’ new Vantage Orian MRI system will take centre stage on stand 97 at UKRCO, 2-4 July 2018 in Liverpool. It is the company’s major foray into the premium wide-bore 1.5T market and addresses many of the challenges facing the UK health environment such as increasing patient numbers and specialist resource shortages.

The Vantage Orian MRI will introduce ‘ForeSee View’ as a standard scan planning tool that will help junior and experienced radiographers with procedure planning to deliver accurate and swift image acquisition without the need for repeats. It is particularly useful in anatomies that can be difficult to plan such as pancreas, heart and certain orthopaedic joints.

Quick scanning speeds will further fuel productivity meaning that more patients can be seen during service hours. This will help to meet waiting targets, provide emergency frontline support and deliver a much-needed boost to morale in UK imaging departments. New fast 3D functionality, for example, can reduce scan times by up to 50%* for different contrast weighted images at the same time as maintaining homogeneity and fat suppression.

Vanessa Ellis, MR Product Specialist at Canon Medical Systems UK states, “This is an exciting new product launch in the UK for people seeking a MRI that is fast, easy-to-use and versatile for high productivity and clinical confidence. This builds on our existing MRI portfolio, stepping into the premium end of the market as we innovate in tune with the needs of target audiences and under our new brand R&D strategies.”

The Vantage Orian offers a range of new Rapid Scan and Easy Tech technology that further reduces scan time and helps improve workflow. A redesigned gantry interface and dockable table ensure easy patient handling. Plus, new applications like Multiband SPEEDER, that can reduce scan times for diffusion imaging by at least half, expanding the range of clinical applications; and achieve up to x8 accelerated imaging with k-t SPEEDER for high frame rate cardiac cine and perfusion imaging with free breathing.

The Vantage Orian is also compact in size, with one of the smallest footprints in the 1.5T wide-bore class and adheres to Canon Medical System’s carbon consciousness featuring a low power eco feature that reduces energy use by up to 21%**. Patient friendly features include a slim and compact design, wide 71cm bore to put people at ease, and a whisper quiet procedure from Pianissimo™ and Pianissimo Zen technology.

Information on the Canon Medical Systems’ Applications for Life Programme will also be available to visitors at UKRCO. The scheme provides complimentary lifetime support for customers to ensure maximum system know-how to meet imaging service demands. This includes continual knowledge development on new scanning techniques, training in tune with staff changes and access to CPD accredited study days.

The Vantage Orian was first launched into Europe at ECR 28 February – 2 March 2018.

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Mark Hitchman, Managing Director at Canon Medical Systems UK

Improving the delivery of frontline diagnostic imaging services for the NHS and private healthcare providers is a priority to support the increasing number of patients coming through the doors. Quick and accurate scanning gives clinicians the information they need to make confident clinical decisions to send people into the correct treatment pathway. At the same time, energy consumption to power medical technology in imaging departments is the highest across the NHS estate¹. This consumption is growing steadily accounting for over 50% of a hospital’s energy cost currently more than £400 million per year². But what about the cost to our natural environment and climate?

NHS carbon emissions higher than Heathrow Airport

In 2012, the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions attributable from NHS England were greater than the annual emissions from all aircraft departing from Heathrow Airport³. The same report detailed that in 2012/13, 59% of NHS carbon emissions were linked to procured goods whilst 24% to direct energy use in buildings and 17% to patient and staff travel.

The good news is that a concerted focus on carbon reduction in the UK as a whole – with the aim to reduce UK greenhouse gas by at least 80% by 2050 – has boosted awareness in all industries to innovate in tune with sustainability.

The latest NHS carbon footprint report⁴ by NHS England, published in January 2016 based on 2015 data, shows that the current NHS carbon footprint in England is 22.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) and that between 2007 and 2015 the carbon footprint has reduced by 11%. It is great news that progress is being made and that the health of our planet is on the same agenda as improving the health of our nation.

However, CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere is still a critical problem with 2016 figures⁵ showing a record high. If it continues, it will lead to unpredictable changes in the global climate system such as higher temperatures, flooding and other extreme conditions that will have a knock-on effect to healthcare needs. Just because targets are in place and footprints are reducing it doesn’t mean awareness and initiatives should wane.

Canon Medical: the only UK medical equipment provider to be carbon neutral

In 2018, Canon Medical Systems UK was proud to announce a sustainable milestone offsetting 20,000 tonnes of CO2 from ultrasound, X-ray, CT or MRI systems installed into UK hospitals over the past 3.5 years. Achieving this carbon offset milestone meant that not only was it the only UK medical equipment provider to be a carbon neutral business meeting all PAS2060 requirements by the British Standards Institute, but also that the scheme had helped more than 22,000 people, including 12,000 children, in rural Uganda and Kenya. So, at the same time as our medical imaging innovations help UK patients, thousands of people are helped in developing nations. Canon Medical Systems is now working towards becoming a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals partner.

Our scheme works by calculating the carbon footprint of each Canon Medical Systems imaging product used in the daily prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients in NHS and private hospitals. This considers the elements involved in manufacture, packaging, shipping and average energy usage for the standard lifetime of a system. Each month, UK sales figures are translated into tonnes of carbon and offset to a high impact project in a developing country to help to improve mortality, health, quality of life and female empowerment.

A sale in the UK helps to improve health and wellbeing in the developing nations

For example, a Canon Medical 3T MRI system has a carbon offset footprint of 306.31 tonnes which then helps 342 people in Kenya and Uganda via cooking stoves and water borehole projects. Cooking on open fires is a big health issue in developing nations with World Health Organisation figures stating that there are 3.8 million premature deaths per year from non-communicable diseases such as stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer⁶.

The Canon Medical Systems UK carbon offset scheme, managed by specialists CO2balance and monitored by the United Nations, provides 47 modern fuel-efficient stoves per 3T MRI system sold. This reduces the amount of smoke particles in a family home, the equivalent of 2 packets of inhaled cigarettes per day. The amount of firewood needed is also halved delivering further environmental and quality of life positives, such as time savings on wood collection so children do not miss school, and lessening deforestation benefitting wildlife habitats and flood prevention.

The same process is applied across the range of medical imaging technologies – a 1.5T MRI scanner sale offsets a carbon footprint of 226.78 tonnes going towards helping 254 people in rural villages; a CT scanner offsets 77.46 tonnes to help 87 people; an X-ray system offsets 81.33 tonnes to help 91 people; and every Ultrasound system is calculated to have a total footprint offset of 5.47 tonnes to positively impact 7 people in Africa.

Carbon offset is just one part of sustainable commitments

The long term quest in the R&D labs is to produce next generation medical imaging systems that consume less energy to therefore emit less CO2 plus cost less to run over their lifetimes. Our carbon offset initiative is a quick way to illustrate our ethics and ethos, but technical equipment innovation takes a bit more time.

We are proud to have made some inroads in this area and earlier this year our Aquilion ONE GENESIS CT Scanner was awarded Gold at the Green Apple Environmental Best Practice Awards, an annual international campaign to recogise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world. The CT was recognised as smaller and lighter than its predecessors, thus requiring less power and is built to deliver lower levels of exposure dose to patients. It has been designed for an installation space of just 19m² to reduce the need for hospitals to undertake costly and energy emitting renovations.

Our CT systems innovation also features advanced standby functionality to draw less energy when not in use, while also borrowing ideas from the world of Formula One racing, with Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) applied to our gantry designs. When the gantry decelerates from spinning it recovers energy thus drawing less electricity to power its use.

Kyosei at the heart of our values

So why are we concerned about the natural environment and our contribution to its wellbeing? It’s not just about ticking the Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR) box, it’s from a Canon company philosophy called ‘Kyosei’, a Japanese word that means living and working together for the common good. It has shaped our 80 year pedigree and our values; the way we treat people and conduct our business. It also means that we’re serious about taking responsibility for the impact of our activities, respecting our customers, plus the communities and countries we operate within, including our natural environment.

As we celebrate the 70th birthday of our treasured NHS, we feel putting heart and soul, ethics and ethos, into the future of medical imaging innovation is a long-term investment that our brand, our customers and the environment will all benefit from.

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Canon Medical Systems recently supplied Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary with a state-of-the-art Aquilion Prime SP CT system. The new system, which replaced an existing Aquilion 64 scanner was launched in 2017, and is the first of its type to be installed in Scotland It incorporates cutting-edge technologies designed to meet current, as well as future, healthcare needs.

Commenting on the new installation, Christine West, Superintendent CT Radiographer says, “Our previous Aquilion 64 system performed well and was well supported by both applications and service.”

The hospital has recently moved to a brand new building, which highlighted the need for reliable service and support. Christine adds, “Our team not only appreciated the new advances in technology that the Aquilion Prime SP brought and the positive impact that these advances would bring to their work, but just as important was the relationship that they had with Canon Medical Systems’ personnel. The strong relationship meant that they felt secure and supported with the move to the new site and that they were dealing with a manufacturer that they trust.”

Christine continues, “Since the Aquilion Prime SP has been in use there has been a significant improvement in dose, which impressed the staff, and other technologies, such as SEMAR, have also been well received. The Tech Assist Lateral Slide couch has made life easier for the radiographers and is therefore likely to have a positive impact on patient experience and comfort, along with saving time.”

The Aquilion Prime SP is a robust, reliable CT system, which provides excellent image quality at the lowest possible dose. The system has a wide range of integrated technologies to ensure that excellent outcomes are reproducible for every patient, regardless of size and shape. The system is supported by a highly skilled and dedicated support team of engineers and applications specialists enabling the clinical team to get the very best out of the system for the whole duration of its installation.

Photo:

Shown here, left to right, Valerie Grierson, Interim Radiology Services Manager; Dr. Petr Hrobar, Consultant Radiologist; Paul Wilson, Radiographer; Dr. Joseph Lastik, Consultant Radiologist; Christine West, CT Superintendent, Iain Gray, Account Executive, Canon Medical Systems, Kirstin McMurray, Specialist Radiographer and Lynn Wilson, Healthcare Support Worker

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Precise patient positioning, unique extremity imaging & rapid single rotation cardiac scanning cited as key innovations to support service needs

To meet increasing demands in cardiac CT and futureproof its general imaging capabilities, Croydon University Hospital has upgraded its CT scanner to a Aquilion ONE™ GENESIS Edition CT from Canon Medical Systems.

Cardiac CT is now the first-line investigation for all patients presenting with chest pain due to suspected Coronary Artery Disease. This change in NICE guidelines, away from invasive coronary angiography to cardiac CT, has resulted in an increased workload for NHS imaging departments. At Croydon University Hospital cardiac lists are increasing to represent over a quarter (26%) of its daily scanning workload.

The Aquilion ONE™ GENESIS Edition CT scanner is the fastest in the NHS, boasting 135 millisecond scanning of the entire heart in half a rotation without distortion artefacts and at the lowest possible dose. This fast scanning speed and superior image outputs give a higher level of clinical confidence for treatment planning.

“The new Aquilion ONE CT from Canon Medical Systems replaces an ageing piece of equipment to bring our CT imaging strategy firmly up to date. Growing cardiac CT lists and general imaging workload pressures will now be met confidently and innovatively,” states Anne Geoghegan, CT Superintendent at Croydon University Hospital, part of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. “We are also particularly impressed by the Lateral Assist functionality on the scanner that moves the table side-to-side ensuring accurate placement of the patient in the isocentric beam. This reduces manual handling and ensures detailed image quality at the lowest possible dose.”

Laser Collimation functionality further uniquely positions the Aquilion ONE™ GENESIS Edition CT scanner as one-of-a-kind to meet the versatility of imaging demands. No scanogram is required during imaging planning, lowering dose and shortening set-up time.

Anne Geoghegan, CT Superintendent at Croydon University Hospital continues, “The ability to do extremity imaging such as wrists and elbows from a chair through the CT bore, without patient placement on the table, is another unique feature that we are really impressed with. It means that we can be very precise without needing to irradiate the rest of the body.”

Mark Hitchman, Managing Director at Canon Medical Systems UK states, “The speed of our CT scanning is truly amazing – an entire image of the heart at nearly the same rate as the speed of light to travel around the world, or an entire liver in the blink of an eye. These innovations at the frontline of patient care in the NHS, will help support the clinical and service demands facing radiographers and radiologists today. We are very pleased to have been selected by Croydon University Hospital to work in partnership to futureproof its CT imaging equipment and we will continue to support with maintenance, service and training.”

Photo:

Tessa Sanderson CBE, Olympic gold medallist with family links to Croydon, opens the new Aquilion ONE™ GENESIS Edition CT from Canon Medical Systems at Croydon University Hospital.

[Left to right]: Jamile Siddiqui, Account Manager at Canon Medical Systems; Anne Geoghegan, CT Superintendent at Croydon University Hospital; Mike Bell, Chairman of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust; Tessa Sanderson CBE, Six times Olympian athlete; Simone O’Connor, Superintendent Radiographer at Croydon University Hospital; and Dr Ketul Patel, Lead Consultant Radiologist at Croydon University Hospital.

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Bedford Hospital NHS Trust recently acquired a Canon Medical Systems’ Aplio i-700 ultrasound system for its Breast Unit. Based on positive experience with Canon’s equipment, the hospital opted to replace its Aplio XG scanner with the very latest version of the company’s Aplio i-series.

The unit runs a symptomatic breast clinic for Bedford and the surrounding areas, and Sarah Rainford, Consultant Radiographer in breast imaging, commenting on the reasons for selecting Canon Medical Systems, says, “The Aplio i-700 fulfils our wish list. We are achieving stunning image quality and we also appreciate its ease-of-use due to prior knowledge of the equipment. We particularly like the movable screen height on the monitor and we are also very satisfied with the excellent support we receive from Canon Medical Systems.”

The new scanner has been delivered with a 1205Bx high frequency probe. The multiple frequency design of the probe encompasses the traditional 6 and 3.75 MHz curved transducers in one unit, an innovation which saves on cost and promotes efficiency of use since the need for switching during an exam is negated. It provides superior sensitivity and resolution for both near and far field, and this revolutionary transducer design can also provide better imaging regardless of the patient condition.

Intuitive ergonomics boost productivity during routine and complex exams with iSense, which offers an image-guided user interface to visually assist the physician through the exam, simplifying system operation and helping improve efficiency. In order to facilitate faster ultrasound exams, the system also features touch control screens and real-time quick scan, which makes mage adjustments, automatically, without pushing a button. In addition, with flexible panel height adjustment, lateral slide and a fully articulating monitor arm, the Aplio i-series allows the user to optimally adjust the console to virtually any scanning position.

Photo:

Shown, left to right, Lisa Wright, Ultrasound Applications Specialist Canon Medical Systems; Christian Kasmeridis Radiology Clinical Service Manager; Dr. George Stasinos, Consultant Radiologist Lead of Breast Imaging; Barbara Jaggard, Specialist Radiographer and Glenys Wiltsher, HCA, Radiology Department

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Canon Medical Systems’ Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition CT system was recently installed at BMI The Priory Hospital in Edgbaston, the largest independent sector hospital in the region.

Fiona Cawley, CT Lead Radiographer comments,”We are thrilled with our new scanner. The image quality is amazing and the lower dose is better for our patients. We are excited at the possibility of restarting cardiac studies. The bigger gantry gives better access and makes positioning easier. All our radiographers love the new system, and its ease-of-use. The Canon Medical Systems technical and applications personnel are very supportive and nice to deal with.”

Going beyond the evolution of dynamic volume CT, the Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition has been re-engineered to achieve ultimate performance with an optimised imaging chain that takes imaging to a new level of detail and resolution, balanced for each clinical question and patient at the right dose.

The patient-centric design of the Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition with its unique flared gantry, 78cm bore and wide patient couch provides a comfortable and calming wide-open space for an improved patient experience and also enables easy access for the clinician from both sides of the system. Laser collimation allows the scan field-of-view and range to be set directly on the patient, speeding up the examination time and further reducing dose. .

The wide area detector allows whole organ coverage in one rotation which, when used in conjunction with ^SURECardio software, enables robust, reliable and reproducible single beat acquisition in cardiac studies. The system is supplied with a Vitrea Extend workstation, an advanced visualisation solution that complements the extensive capabilities of the Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition CT system.

Photo:

Shown here (left to right) Tony Avery, Executive Director, BMI The Priory, Edgbaston; Fiona Cawley, CT Lead Radiographer; Barnaby Harrison, Account Manager, Canon Medical Systems; Suad Hashi, CT Radiographer and Graham Martin, CT Applications Specialist, Canon Medical Systems

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Canon Medical Systems followed up on its successful CT study days, held in 2016, and aimed at Medical Physicists, by running a series of courses entitled ‘Canon Medical Systems technologies – a physicist’s perspective’. The events were held in Glasgow, Manchester and Oxford, with invitees including Clinical Scientists, Radiation Protection Advisors, Medical Physics Experts and Radiation Physicists. The course was provided as part of Canon Medical Systems’ Applications for Life promise and offered free-of-charge to delegates.

The day opened with a review of key points that emerged from the previous study days, followed by ‘Noise and its management in CT scanning’, with an explanation of the core elements on a CT scanner that contribute to noise in images and affect their quality. Also included was theory on image generation and viewing modes.

Two sessions were held during the day on dose optimisation. The first part covered dose reduction technologies available on Canon Medical Systems’ new Aquilion CT scanners and included a background explanation of how each of the technologies results in dose reduction and their application in optimising dose.

The morning session ended with an IRR & IR(ME)R update and a review of what has changed in the regulations and how it will affect CT, dose management and DICOM dose reports. This was presented by David Platten, MSc CSci, MIPEM, Principal Physicist at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

After lunch the second of the dose optimisation session consisted of using a demo unit and the latest software to give a practical demonstration of the technologies covered in part I and their effect

Finally the meeting looked at the advanced technologies that enhance diagnostic image quality, whilst keeping doses low. This also included Canon Medical Systems’ SEMAR Dual Energy and Subtraction software, covering theory, protocols and clinical applications.

Positive feedback was received at all three events about the relevance and range of the information delivered and the quality of the presentations, with the delegates rating the events even higher than the previous study days.

Comments included “Extremely knowledgeable presenters: Thorough, comprehensive, good balance without too much bias”, “Clinical talk was very useful to put it all into context”, “Virtual scanner was Very Useful!!”, “Thank You for arranging the day – very informative.”

Photo:

Group photo at Oxford venue

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Canon Medical Systems’ Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition CT system was recently installed at Arrowe Park Hospital, a large acute hospital and part of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Gail Green, CT/Ultrasound Manager explains, “The new Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition scanner benefits from a flared gantry which we find can alleviate worries from anxious patients. This improves patient experience whilst also allowing staff better access to the patient. The system is consistently performing exceptional quality scans at lower doses and with less contrast agent than we have been able to achieve before.” Gail continues, “We chose Canon Medical Systems to deliver our new CT system as we have been impressed with the efficiency of Canon’s service provision in the past and are confident that they are able to continue to provide us with a high quality customer service.”

The Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition transforms routine imaging to new levels of image detail and low contrast resolution, balanced for each clinical question to the right dose. A completely redesigned X-ray system from photon generation to beam distribution and detection is the basis of ^PUREVision Optics, resulting in a better balance between image quality and dose. It comes with a reconstruction speed of 80 fps, and is also equipped with Canon Medical Systems’ low dose software, AIDR 3D Enhanced.

The Aquilion ONE GENESIS Edition comes with a wide 78 cm bore for improved access to the patient from both the rear and front of the gantry, and a gantry tilt of ±30 degrees. The system is equipped with Canon Medical Systems’ Tech Assist Lateral Slide technology to ensure safety and comfort. Using ^SUREPosition the patient can be remotely positioned into the exact iso-centre, ensuring best practice in CT accuracy.

The installation was a turnkey project provided by Canon Medical Systems with the new ‘tech room’ freeing up space and making the scan room environment more relaxed. During the installation period, Canon Medical Systems supplied Arrowe Park Hospital with a relocatable CT scanner so that installation did not impact on capacity and workflow.

Gail Green adds, “The Canon Medical Systems’ design team configured the existing area to maximise the available examination room space, as we were compromised by the space we had initially when looking at new systems. The new area design allowed us to remove the computer cabinets to an adjoining room so that we could de-clutter the scan room.”

With three Canon systems in use at Arrowe Park, Canon Medical Systems is now the sole provider of CT scanning at the hospital.

Photo:

Shown here, (left to right) Colin Murray, Account Manager, Canon Medical Systems; Pam Black, Radiology Service Manager; Linda Horsfall, District Sales Manager, North & Scotland, Canon Medical Systems; Karl Taylor CT Principal Radiographer; Yvonne Jones, Clinical Service Lead for Radiology; Gail Green, CT/Ultrasound Manager; Dr, Dan Earnshaw, Consultant Radiologist and Jennie Brady, CT Radiographer

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Airedale NHS Trust recently purchased two Canon Medical Systems Aplio i-700 ultrasound systems, one system for use in the hospital, and the second system for the Keighley Medical Centre. Users at both sites are now able to enjoy state-of-the-art technologies such as such Superb Micro-vascular Imaging (SMI), and ultra wide-band i-series transducers.

Both systems will be used as ‘work horse’ machines. The Airedale Hospital scanner has been purchased for the antenatal clinic where it is anticipated that the improved image quality will enable the clinic to shorten waiting times and also cut down on the number of patients having to be called back for rescans. The system at Keighley Medical Centre is used for all disciplines within ultrasound, including abdominal, gynaecological, obstetric and vascular scanning.

The new systems replaced two existing units and the Trust selected the Canon Medical Systems for their image quality, reliability, as well as the excellent customer services support. They also like the ‘look’ of the new platform and its ease-of-use due to fewer buttons and a larger touch screen. In addition, the fast boot-up times makes the starter of the day much quicker.

The i-700 series features new beam-forming technology, iBeam, which optimises the efficiency of the beam, increasing penetration, spatial resolution and contrast resolution, while at the same time, reducing artefacts and clutter. It also comes with intelligent Dynamic Micro-Slice (iDS), which increases clinical accuracy and reveals more detail in all depths by electronically sharpening the imaging slice thickness.

SMI offers colour flow imaging with unmatched detail and definition. It expands the range of visible blood flow to visualise low-velocity micro-vascular flow as never seen before with diagnosis ultrasound. The ultra-wideband transducers cover the same bandwidth as two conventional transducers, providing superior sensitivity and resolution for both the near and far field.

Intuitive ergonomics boost productivity and iSense, which offers an image-guided user interface to visually guide the physician through the exam, simplifying system operation and helping improve efficiency. In addition,, the system features touch control screens and real-time quick scan, which makes automatic image adjustments without pushing a button.

Photo:

Shown here (left to right), Sonographers Susan Oates, Nicola Willoughby Lorna Gray and Christina Henry with Canon Medical Systems’ representatives: Jo Bertelsen, Ultrasound Account Manager and Louise Higgins, Ultrasound Applications Specialist

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Canon Medical Systems returned to Barcelona Football Club for its MRI users meeting. The agenda, which covered two days, concentrated on men and women’s health.

With a full and exciting agenda, the two-day meeting was enthusiastically received by participants, with delegates commenting positively on a very informative, well organised and enjoyable meeting that provided an opportunity, in addition to the formal lectures, to meet and network with other users.

The first session covered men’s health, concentrating on prostate cancer. The opening presentation by Dr. Jurgan Futterer from Nijmegen, the Netherlands covered the anatomy of the prostate, detailing where the cancer was most likely to be situated, size of the zones, how the cancer is scored using the Gleason score and the importance of the tumour extent and tumour volume. This was followed by session on the technical aspects of prostate cancer imaging, highlighting the use of multi-parametric studies. Gleason scoring for Radiologists was then covered, together, followed by explanation of the post-processing tool PIRAD 1 and 2. The morning closed with a presentation on ‘Pitfalls and non-visible tumours’.

The afternoon opened with a session entitled ‘A plea for MR-targeted biopsies, followed by ‘Staging of prostate cancer’ and ‘MR-guided focal therapy’. The day ended with practical demonstrations, including a real-time ultrasound with MRI fusion demo, using a 3D MRI data whist performing live ultrasound. The data registration and set-up took only approximately three minutes, which reduces the exam time whilst giving good pathological information. After the meeting had closed, delegates were given a demonstration and overview of Olea Medical’s software and the opportunity to use the Olea workstations in the congress hall to post-process a number of prostate patient cases.

Day Two covered women’s health: breast imaging, opening with an overview of technical requirements for breast imaging. This was followed by Dr. Pau Palana from Barcelona who presented on Beast MRI, indications and level of evidence, focussing on the screening of high-risk women’. This was followed by a lecture on’ MRI examination of the high risk dense breast’, which concluded that MRI allows an early detection of breast cancer. Advanced MRI techniques were then discussed, including fMRI, contrast and fast MRI screening. Olea Medical also presented its breast post-processing platform. The day closed with a look at future developments in breast MRI. Throughout the two days, the presentations were interspersed with discussions and questions and answer sessions.

Feedback included “Thank you to everyone for a brilliant couple of days. It was great meeting lovely, like-minded people! Hopefully we will all meet up again at some point,” and“It was indeed a great time, with lots of helpful information which will be put into practice.” Another delegate, commenting of the networking opportunities said, “Many thanks to Canon Medical Systems for the user meeting. We were really spoilt and felt like VIPS. It was great meeting you all – likewise radiography is a small world and hopefully we will meet up again sometime.”

Delegates also enjoyed a tour around Barcelona Football Club followed by a tapas dinner in the restaurant at the club.

Photograph caption: Two of the UK participants won the quiz and received FCB shirts as a prize. Shown on the left Kumaar Thiagarajan, Senior MRI Radiographer at Lewisham & Green NHS Trust and on the right Shyam Bheemreddy, Senior Radiographer at Vista Diagnostics InHealth, Waterloo, London

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

The Holly Private Hospital, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, recently acquired a Canon Aquilion Prime SP 160-slice cardiac CT scanner. The new equipment, which replaced an existing 16-slice system, equips the hospital with the very latest in cutting-edge technology, including Vitrea Extend ‘thin-client’ workstation with cardiac and ColonCAD post-processing.

The new system is a welcome addition to the advanced suite of imaging technology at The Holly Private Hospital and ensures that the award-winning private hospital has the most advanced cross-sectional platforms in the local area.

At the official opening of the scanner, David Henderson, Hospital Director said, “We welcome this huge investment in our imaging technology, which demonstrates our commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare to our patients. A particular big thank you goes to Michele Fox, Imaging Services Manager, who did a fantastic job in managing the new CT scanner project.”

Speaking about the investment, Michele Fox, Imaging Services Manager and Aspen Group Radiology Lead said, “The new Canon Medical Systems Aquilion Prime SP 160 CT scanner provides excellent image quality at the lowest possible radiation dose to the patient, using the latest scanning technology. It allows us to carry out exams covering all parts of the anatomy, but what’s really exciting is that we can now offer cardiac angiography CT scanning at The Holly. We are so excited to be able to offer our patients and referrers the most advanced imaging technology in CT scanning and look forward to welcoming even more patients to The Holly in the coming months.”

The Aquilion Prime SP, which was purchased to cover a wide range of diagnostic CT examinations, including cardiac studies, will also be used for radiotherapy planning. The standard 78cm bore of the gantry enables good access for the CT fluoro package as well as for radiotherapy planning.

During installation of the new equipment, The Holly Private Hospital used one of Toshiba’s (now Canon) mobile CT scanners, comprising an Aquilion PRIME 160-slice cardiac CT system. This allowed the hospital to provide a seamless CT service, while enabling works and CT installation took place. Another key benefit of this mobile solution was that the radiography staff could be trained on the new CT system ahead of the actual one being delivered and installed. The Holly Private Hospital took advantage of a full turnkey solution as provided by Canon Medical Systems, utilising Apollo Building Services Ltd.

The Aquilion Prime SP is capable of generating 160 slices per rotation using the coneXact™ reconstruction algorithm. High speed rotation allows rapid data acquisition, which, in conjunction with fast reconstruction times, further improves throughput, reducing the time required for diagnosis.

The new system has been delivered by an array of software including cardiac CT, Variable Helical Parameters, ^SURESubtraction neuro, lung and ortho packages, and CT fluoro. In addition, the radiotherapy capability includes RT indexed couch inlay and LAP Dorado Lasers.

Photo:

Shown here left to right, Dr. Lorraine Kelly, Director of Nursing & Clinical Services; Colin Pellow, Account Manager, Canon Medical Systems; Dr. Nicholas Reading, Consultant Radiologist; Michele Fox, Imaging Services Manager/Aspen Group Radiology Lead; David Henderson, Hospital Director; Mayur Zaveri, CT Lead/MRI Reporting Radiographer, and Simon Weeden, Branch Manager, Canon Medical Systems

Posted on June 28, 2018 by CMSE

Positive benefits will cascade from acquisition to support NHS and private healthcare

The transition of Toshiba Medical Systems to Canon Medical Systems UK is complete and it not only brings a name change, but also fresh energy, greater access to innovations and an expanding portfolio of world class imaging systems.

The UK team will continue to support NHS and private healthcare institutions with products, solutions and services. But by now being part of Canon Medical Systems Corporation, the UK team will be able to further their support of imaging professionals and hospital management facing unprecedented challenges from increasing imaging demand, skills shortages and budget constraints.

A 2018 programme of Canon Medical Systems UK study days are in place available to view online at https://uk.medical.canon/courses/. These are designed for radiographers, sonographers, radiologists, cardiologists and neurologists to fully optimise their knowledge of the systems and applications they use. This will ensure that systems are used to their full potential, delivering not only a sound return on imaging investment, but also that patients can benefit from the latest techniques being used to diagnose or manage their clinical conditions.

This new chapter will accelerate R&D into the design of imaging systems that are patient-friendly, while powering workflow productivity in today’s modern healthcare environment. This will be underpinned by Canon’s heritage of providing state-of-the-art innovation and support to over 140 countries and regions.

“It’s a new name, but it’s the same great people, world-class service, innovative solutions and a shared philosophy of ‘Made for Life’,” states Mark Hitchman, UK Managing Director of Canon Medical Systems Ltd. “Moving from Toshiba Medical Systems to Canon Medical Systems is a huge opportunity for our customers, employees and wider stakeholders. The patient is still at the heart of what we do, but as part of a larger organisation we can gain access to greater research and development opportunities to power innovation and support humanity. It seems apt that the same year that the NHS has its 70^th birthday, we transition to be part of a global institution with a 100-year history and commitment to improving the quality of life for all.”

He continues, “Our sustainability targets and earth-friendly initiatives will continue under the Canon Medical Systems brand, showing our commitment to our planet and its finite resources. We work to a Voluntary Environmental Plan that follows a cycle of making, using, returning and reusing. This actively reduces waste in manufacturing sites plus reduces CO2 emissions at our office, our transport fleet and throughout the entire production and lifecycle of medical equipment used by UK hospitals. Canon’s corporate philosophy is ‘Kyosei’, a Japanese word that means living and working together for the common good. In this spirit, we have minimised waste during this organisational transition and name change by donating over 350 pieces of Toshiba Medical Systems branded clothing to a local homeless charity and handing over redundant brand stationery such as notepads and pens to our local hospital in Crawley.”