Malvern, Pa., October 7, 2010 – Siemens announces that the MAGNETOM^® Aera 1.5 Tesla (T) and MAGNETOM Skyra 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners – the first Tim^® 4G and Dot^™ systems – have received 510(k) FDA clearance and are now commercially available in the United States. MAGNETOM Aera and MAGNETOM Skyra 70cm Open Bore systems were developed in response to one of the primary needs in healthcare, which is to become more efficient, while still providing optimal patient care.

“Siemens is committed to help address the challenges in the healthcare industry,” said Don Fowler, vice president, Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Healthcare. “The Area and Skyra join the MAGNETOM family of Open Bore systems and were developed in direct response to the needs of our customers to provide the best in patient care, while maintaining the highest level of productivity.

Driving Innovation

Tim 4G, the fourth generation of Siemens-exclusive RF technology, starts with 48 RF channels at both 1.5 and 3T – presently the highest standard RF channel configuration ever offered at either field strength. Tim’s new all digital-in/digital-out design, DirectRF, integrates all RF transmit and receive components at the magnet, eliminating analog cables for true signal purity and high RF stability. TimTX TrueForm enables optimized RF transmission for excellent B₁ homogeneity.*

Tim 4G also introduces a whole new coil architecture – Dual-Density Signal Transfer. Dual-Density Signal Transfer sends signals from two independent coil elements on a single wire using two different frequencies. This offers improved Signal-to-Noise, and enables higher density of RF elements/channels within a given coil housing.

Adding to the power of Tim technology on the MAGNETOM Aera and MAGNETOM Skyra systems is Siemens-exclusive Dot (Day optimizing throughput) engine. Dot provides a customizable framework for patient personalization, user guidance and exam automation to help optimize every part of MR workflow. Dot offers optimized engines for brain, cardiac, abdomen, and knee exams, for example.

With Dot, exam strategies help customers quickly adapt protocols according to the patient’s condition and clinical indication. For example, in liver imaging, Dot links protocols and procedures so that the optimal Field of View (FoV) for the patient is almost instantly estimated to have the best resolution. Or, if a patient cannot hold still, a simple click will select pre-defined sequences for that situation (Dot strategies) and help complete the scan with positive results.

Dot engines provide Guidance Views with text and images for on-line guidance through even the most complicated exams, and intelligent workflows can be customized to the user’s standards, so scans are completed faster and more easily, with fewer repeats. An improved Auto-Align technology enables automated positioning and consistent alignment of slices for faster positioning and robust image quality across all patients.

The MAGNETOM Aera and Skyra systems have been available outside the United States since November 2009 with more than 100 systems sold to date.

* available only at 3T

The Siemens Healthcare Sectoris one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.

Contact:

Sithembile Mokaeane

Sithembile.mokaeane@siemens.com

011 652 2000