Canon Medical launched its latest MR system, the Vantage Fortian, last week at the 2021 RSNA annual conference in Chicago.

The 1.5T open bore scanner comes with workflow and image enhancement features and accelerated scan technology that helps to reduce the time it takes to complete MR exams. The solution is designed to help move patients through the scanning process faster so providers can better manage increasing patient volumes and increasingly complex patient and healthcare system needs with limited resources.

“Everyone recognizes that MR scans generally take longer and require a more complex workflow than other modalities. So our engineers have been focused on finding solutions that can really meet today’s new demands and ensure that MR facilities and their patients can move more and wait less,” said Akira Adachi, general manager of the MR systems division at Canon Medical, in a statement.
The Vantage Fortian utilizes Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE) technology to perform deep learning reconstruction that removes noise and restores SNR for stronger image quality. This helps clinicians visualize fine anatomical details. It also automates many scan procedures and confirms set-up steps to save time and decrease errors.

Further shortening scan time is the system’s compressed sensing technology, which enables it to produce quality images with less information. This creates faster clinical throughput, along with calculations from the acquired data taking place at the MR scanner without the need for it to be exported or externally processed. Parallel imaging also helps, with receiver coils supporting spatial localization of the MR signal and reducing the number of phase-encoding steps required for image acquisition.

“One of the most valuable contributions that we can provide in today’s challenging healthcare environment is to bring new tools like the Vantage Fortian, that enhance workflow and productivity, to the table,” said Adachi.

The scanner was shown as part of Canon’s virtual gallery and digital experience on account of the company’s decision to not have a physical booth this year due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Delta variant. The Radiological Society of North America announced back in May that it would pursue a hybrid model for both a virtual and in-person presence at McCormick Place after going completely virtual last year.

The new features of the Vantage Fortian will be added to previous 1.5T systems released by Canon. It also plans to add them to its 3T MR scanners following regulatory approval.

The Vantage Fortian is 510(k) pending and not available yet for sale in the U.S.

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