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In a joint effort, Rambam and GE Healthcare Israel have developed a new imaging device that shortens examination time by half, and enables examinations with less radiation than with conventional methods.

Fruitful collaboration between Rambam and GE Healthcare Israel has resulted in another technological breakthrough, the first of its kind in the world in the imaging field. The result: faster and more efficient diagnosis with a combined technology.

An advanced imaging system, the first of its kind in the world, started to operate last week at Rambam Health Care Center (RHCC). The device, which combines a nuclear medical camera and advanced CT, is the prototype of a technology developed by GE Healthcare in Israel together with a team from Rambam’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine. Currently, it is in assessment stages at the hospital. To this point, a similar GE technology has been operating in the area of cardiology, but the new device is able to examine a wide range of diseases connected to tumors, skeletal illnesses, infections, heart disease and more.

According to Dr. Zohar Kidder, assistant director of Rambam’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine, and leader of this collaborative effort at the hospital, the device (Discovery NM/CT 670) is considered a breakthrough in the imaging arena. “The combination of two types of imaging allows for faster and more accurate diagnosis, and determination of the treatment most suited to the subject’s illness.”

The new device shortens examination time by half, and its unique program enables examinations with less radiation than with conventional methods.

At Rambam, tens of imaging examinations in the area of nuclear medicine are carried out daily (bone mapping, heart mapping, tumors etc). The new device will carry out a significant number of these procedures.

The new device was dedicated at a special ceremony attended by Rambam’s nuclear medicine team, which is directed by Prof. Ora Israel, representatives of the hospital’s administration and of GE Healthcare Israel. Prof. Israel commented that this device represents an important building block in the cooperation between the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and GE. Already, this collaboration has yielded breakthroughs in different imaging areas, including PET/CT scans, as well as technologies related to heart, and tumor imaging. Prof. Shimon Reisner, assistant director of the hospital, reiterated the importance of imaging technology in quality medical care and saving life. Natan Harmony, general world manager in the area of nuclear medicine at GE Healthcare said that there is great hope and worldwide interest surrounding the new device.

GE Healthcare Israel is a partner in developing the most advanced technologies in the area of medical imaging (ultrasound, nuclear medicine, MRI and CT). The company employs 400 workers in Israel, and its offices are located in Tirat haCarmel, near Haifa.