SILVER SPRING, Md., June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the Siemens
Biograph mMR system, the first device to simultaneously perform a
positron emission tomography scan, commonly known as PET scan, and
a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

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PET scans allow physicians to see how the organs and tissues
inside the body are actually functioning by injecting a radioactive
chemical tracer into the patient’s bloodstream. MRI uses magnetic
fields and radiowaves to produce detailed images of organs, soft
tissues, bone and other internal body structures.

Previously, physicians could use a PET and computer tomography
(CT) scanner to image the body. Advantages of the Siemens Biograph
mMR system over current systems include simultaneous imaging,
reduced radiation dose, and increased soft tissue contrast.

“The Siemens PET/MRI system allows two tests to run
simultaneously without having to move the patient to a different
scanning system,” Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office
of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety in the FDA’s
Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Minimizing changes in
a patient’s position between tests allows physicians to
compare images more easily and helps them get the most accurate
information possible.”

The Biograph uses MRI rather than CT to produce detailed images
of the internal structures of the body. Because MRI makes images
based mainly on the concentration of water in the body, it can
produce greater detail of nearly all the internal structures of the
body as compared with CT, which uses X-rays to make images. This
could provide the physician with additional information about a
patient’s condition.

Additionally, the Biograph mMR system allows physicians to
acquire images at a signific

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