28 Jan Siemens 1.5T MRI Scanner models and reviews

The innovative product line of Siemens 1.5T MRI scanners are truly astounding machines to behold. The demand for these machines is on the rise and there are a number available on the secondary market. We currently have a few SIEMENS in our inventory. We want to eliminate the guess work for you by providing an accurate assessment of the various 1.5T machines.

Amira, Sola, Altea 1.5T

The Sola (2018), Altea (2018), and Amira (2015) are the three newest and rarest of the Siemens 1.5T scanners to come to market. These MRI scanners rarely come available on the secondary market, but rest assured we are monitoring t he availability of inventory. Both the Sola and Altea scanners feature a 70cm bore and Siemens new BioMatrix technology. The beauty of the BioMatrix technology is that it uses sensors in the bore to adjust the scan to a patient’s anatomical features, movement, and even breathing patterns. Both Sola and Altea have similar gradient and RF packages to the Aera 1.5T. The Amira is essentially the next generation of Essenza. The bore size is the standard 60cm and it comes with either 16-channel or 24-channel RF setup.

Aera 1.5T

The most recent Siemens 1.5T MRI to begin emerging on the secondary market is the Aera 1.5T. The Aera is the newer generation of a 1.5T Wide Bore system similar to the Espree. The Aera brings you into version “E” software which along with enhanced versions of the TIM suite (Ortho, Onco, Neuro, Pediatric, Cardio, Angio, women’s and men’s health) avails advances in body imaging specifically the liver including Elastography and Fat Fraction calculations to detect early disease stage. TIM 4G (4G referring to the added coil elements and exceptional SNR that results from DirectRF technology). With this advancement, the Aera can reduce scan times by up to 50% with customizable scans for every patient, from wide-bore to the XQ gradient package.

Espree 1.5T

The Espree is still akin to the most popular kid in school. Everyone wants to have this unit around. Radiologists, referring physicians, patients and technologists all love the image quality, software capabilities, and reliable uptime. What sets the Espree apart from other wide bore MRIs is that the bore is incredibly short. This attribute allows for a head first scan to feel even more comfortable as the patient senses a much more authentic “Open” feel than even the pancake magnets.

Symphony 1.5T

The Siemens Symphony having been around for a while still maintains excellent image quality even when compared to the Espree and Avanto. In private conversations with Radiologists I have heard that 80 -90% of scans rate near or equivalent to the newer Siemens models. On one occasion a Physicist warned that a Symphony’s replacement Espree would have a tough time producing images that would differ to the level of outshining the Symphony. Although this system is not zero helium boil-off, the cryogen consumption is offset by the low Total Cost of Ownership. This 4-channel system is very common on the secondary market – it is also available in an 8-channel version and with the right coils and training, can produce Neuro and prostate studies only thought possible on the newer scanners.

Avanto 1.5T

The Avanto is still a powerhouse and is a research a physicist favorite. This system can be equipped with strong SQ (45 mT/m, 200 SR) and 32 channels. With the TIM applications suite and capabilities in fMRI & Neuro, Cardiac, Ortho, Breast, Neuro, Onco, and Body imaging, this system can give any new scanners a good fight when it comes to image quality and performance. With the right configuration, it would probably win some of these battles.

Essenza 1.5T

The Siemens Essenza 1.5T is unique because of its ultra-short, lightweight design. With the TIM technology and an efficient magnet, this mean great technology at a very economical price point. Due to this they are extremely scarce on the secondary market.