Back in 2005, the performance of Siemens wide-bore magnets took the industry by storm. In fact, when 70 cm and closed-bore magnets were compared, the Siemens Espree was hands-down the winning option.
Flash forward 19 years later and the Siemens Aera is now the talk of the town among closed-bore magnet buyers. Is the Aera a profound transformation or just an incremental improvement? Let’s take a closer look.
First, let’s look at the similarities between the two models.
- Both offer greater patient comfort
- Both have Total Imaging Matrix technology that lets you combine coils to image multiple regions of the body at the same time, which eliminates having to change out coils
- TIM reduces total scan time
- You can image over a larger areas without moving the patient when you use TIM
- Both use the Syngo platform
What are the differences between Siemens Espree and Aera?
- The Siemens Espree has one table type. It’s a fixed table that hangs off the front of the gantry and doesn’t make contact with the floor. The Aera is available in both a floor-mounted and roll-away configuration so you can choose
- The Esprees’ components for transmitting and receiving RF signals are in the equipment room while the Aera’s are mounted adjacent to the magnet
- The Aera has less cabling and less noise, which provides a better signal quality
- While both have TIM, the Aera has TIM 4G, the latest iteration. This offers added coil elements and an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio
- The Aera has a slightly higher gradient class
- The Espree uses an older version of TIM. The TIM 4G Aera uses coils with up to 64 independent RF channels and increases to 204 when coils are combined. You get faster acquisition and better image quality with the Aera
- The Espree has an elliptical field when the Aera shims to a spherical magnetic field. The Aera’s field more closely aligns with the overall shape of the human body
- You can easily find the Espree on the secondary market while the Aera isn’t widely available yet
- The Espree is less costly than the Aera
Not sure which one is right for your needs?
Talk to the experts at Atlantis Worldwide. We’ve been helping healthcare facilities with their medical imaging equipment needs for more than 30 years and would love to assist you.
Contact Atlantis Worldwide today.
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Meet the author: Vikki Harmonay