Arab Health welcomes Molecular Workshop where GE will present innovative SPECT/CT combination platform

Dubai, UAE; January 28, 2010: GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), will showcase clinical images from one of the first European clinical installations of its new Discovery NM/CT 670, a hybrid imaging platform designed to improve workflow, dose management and overall image quality.

The system combines GE Healthcare's state-of-the-art BrightSpeed Elite16 slice CT, a newly designed SPECT gantry for greater positional flexibility, and the latest advancements in Nuclear Medicine detectors.  

"Ten years ago, we introduced the world's first SPECT/CT," said Karl Blight, General Manager of GE Healthcare's EMEA Molecular Imaging business. "With the Discovery NM/CT 670, we are revolutionizing the industry once again, providing clinicians the ability to perform both hybrid imaging and standalone CT procedures."

The Discovery NM/CT 670 platform incorporates flexible and proven workflow technology advancements from ten years of Infinia Hawkeye innovations and installations with a modular gantry, designed to embrace tomorrow's technology today. The BrightSpeed Elite, providing proven multi-slice CT performance, completes the cutting-edge system.

The Discovery NM/CT 670 also has the capability to shorten acquisition times, improve dose management, and enable more convenient patient scheduling in comparison to separate, conventional SPECT and CT exams.  

"We understand that a clinician does not want to compromise," said Blight. "We are providing the latest in SPECT and CT technology so clinicians can explore new dimensions of disease and provide the best possible treatment and monitoring of the patient." 

Keeping the patient in mind, the revolutionary system can reduce scan time dramatically. Bone imaging protocols, including planar whole body, two-FOV SPECT and CT attenuation correction/localization, are among the most frequently performed Nuclear Medicine procedures.

With conventional nuclear hybrid imaging, a traditional bone imaging protocol can take up to 55 minutes. With the Discovery NM/CT 670, the time can be reduced to as little as 25 minutes.  

Arab Health, the Middle East's premier healthcare expo is held from January 25 to 28, 2010, at the Dubai International Convention Center. GE Healthcare is the Platinum Sponsor of the exhibition and the Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences on Anesthesia, Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine and Middle East Imaging and Diagnostics, being held on the sidelines of the event.

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About GE Healthcare:
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a US$17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com. 

For further information, please contact:       
Kelly Home/ Nivine William                                            
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Tel: +9714 334 4550
k.home@asdaa.com; n.william@asdaa.com  

© Press Release 2010