General Electric announced a new MRI machine this week that can make the the procedure more comfortable and accessible for two segments of patients – the claustrophobic and the obese.

MRI technology, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses a magnetic field to scan a patient and produce internal images of the body. MRIs are normally performed in a narrow tube because the machine's super-conductive magnets need to be as close to the patient as possible in order to preserve image quality. GE's new device, which was designed in the US at the company's Milwaukee, WI and will be manufactured in nearby Waukesha, features a wider table to accomodate patients with a larger build or patients who suffer from claustrophobia without sacrificing image quality. The new devices are in the same price range as normal MRI machine, around $1.5 million.

Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's coverage of the announcement here.

Posted by Jay Roberts at 09:26 PM | Permalink