Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc.1959 Summit Commerce ParkTwinsburg, Ohio 44087 USATel: 330.425.1313 800.800.3106Fax: 330.425.1410http://www.hitachimed.com

Hitachi Medical Corporation4-14-1 Akihabara UDXSoto-kandaChiyoda-kuTokyo, 101-0021 JapanTel: 03.3526.8407Fax: 03.3526.8409http://www.hitachi-medical.co.jp

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Hitachi reserves the right to change specifications described herein withoutprior notice. This document provides general technical descriptions of bothoptional and standard features.

AIRIS® Elite Advanced Mid-field Open MR MR

AIRIS Elite Open MR from Hitachi

AIRIS® Elite Advanced Mid-Field MR is the next step in mid-field MR performance.

Elite combines the renowned reliability, cost-effectiveness and patient comfort of Hitachi’s Open MR with throughput and capabilities previously not possible at mid-field.

Capabilities and sequences such asRF-Fat Saturation, RAPID™ ParallelImaging, Single Shot EPI Diffusion-Weighted Imaging with DWI analysistools, Balanced SARGE™, advancedMRA capabilities and much more areavailable now with AIRIS Elite.

At the same time, AIRIS Elite deliversall the renowned benefits of HitachiOpen MR design. Our asymmetric two-post architecture affords a spaciousopening for ultimate patient comfort,especially for those who are claustro-phobic or larger than average. Thetable design even permits free lateralpatient positioning within the gantry.

Through our unique design andengineering philosophy, AIRISElite has shattered conventionalwisdom in mid-field MR imagequality and performance, all whilekeeping the patient comfort andflexibility you’d expect fromHitachi, the world leader in OpenMR imaging.

AIRIS Elite features Hitachi’s

Scalable DualQuad® RF system,

higher-order active shim technology

and high-performance gradients.

These advanced subsystems,

integrated with Hitachi’s award-

winning gantry design and vertical

field permanent magnet technology,

enable AIRIS Elite to break through

previous mid-field MR price and

performance conventions.

Redefining Mid-field Performance

High-performance Sub-systems

Advanced Magnet Technology

AIRIS Elite brings together outstand-ing performance in all critical systems.Hitachi’s signature asymmetric two-post open architecture houses ourreliable and cost-effective permanentmagnet technology, delivering a 0.3Tfield strength in a vertical orientationwith consistently high homogeneity.

Field uniformity is enhanced byHitachi’s higher-order Active Shimtechnology, which makes possibleadvanced imaging techniques such asRF-Fat Saturation and EPI-DWI. In fact,AIRIS Elite is the first mid-field systemavailable with this technology.

The magnet is self-shielded to containa 5 Gauss fringe field within the scanroom, reducing the cost of siting whileallowing more flexibility in suitedesign. For example, windows can beincorporated within the suite, which isnot always possible in a room requir-ing magnetic shielding, thus maximiz-ing the friendly, non-claustrophobicatmosphere of Hitachi’s Open MR.

Advanced RF Technology

AIRIS Elite’s standard RF configuration isHitachi’s Scalable DualQuad® (SDQ) RFsystem. SDQ elevates multiple array RFtechnology to a new level, facilitatingadvanced applications today and settingthe stage for future developments. Ultra-low noise preamplifiers contribute tooptimized signal-to-noise ratio.

Additionally, the Multi-ElementResonator (MER) quadrature flat trans-mit coil and powerful transmit amplifierprovide uniform RF excitation and main-tain high image quality. The wide rangeof anatomically-specific receive coilshelp SDQ optimize image quality,throughput and comfort.

Powerful Gradient System

With 21mT/m maximum amplitudeand 55T/m/s maximum slew rate, the powerful and fast gradients provide high resolution and lowTE/TR, rivaling many conventionalhigh-field systems. Yet, AIRIS Eliteuses air cooling for reliable and effi-cient gradient operation. This level of gradient performance enables avariety of advanced imaging tech-niques traditionally associated withhigh-field systems, including:

• Short TE and TR values in Fast Spin Echo and MRA imaging sequences

• FSE imaging with great flexibility, including short inter-echo times and long ETLs

• Single-shot EPI with RF-FatSaturation

Comfort and Convenience

Three-axis motorized movement, asimplified control mechanism and anumber of user enhancements bring anew level of convenience and speed topatient positioning, helping to maxi-mize patient acceptance and through-put. In-gantry lateral table positioningallows precise side-to-side alignmentof the patient’s area of interest withoutthe need to insert and retract thetable.

Traditional Hitachi patient comfort fea-tures are all there too, including wide80- cm table width and wheelchair-height low position for ease of access.

Sophisticated Computer System

AIRIS Elite’s Dual XP workstation fea-tures a multiprocessor computer archi-tecture, enabling multi-tasking capabili-ties to increase efficiency and patientthroughput. Highlighted by a large colormonitor, the system features an intu-itive graphical user interface (GUI) thatis easy to learn and use. Additional fea-tures such as a DVD-RAM image archiveand a CD-write function enhance theperformance.

Clinical Flexibility

Enhanced Capabilities at Mid-field

Hitachi is the undisputed leader in the

development of Open MR technology,

having pioneered the adaptation of

advanced imaging to Open MR.

• Comprehensive RF Fat-Saturation

• RAPID™ Parallel Imaging technology

• FSE and Echo-Planar Imaging (EPI)

• Steady-state gradient echo sequences (SARGE™)

• MRA, including Timed Bolus MRA

• EPI-based Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

AIRIS Elite is the result of our exten-sive experience in Open MR, mid-fieldat a new level of performance. You cancount on Hitachi for maximum yetcost- effective performance on a con-sistent basis.

Through our industry-leading UltraPlus Customer Assurance program,we keep your costs down and systemreliability up. In fact, we guarantee99% system uptime for customersenrolled in Ultra Plus. The programincludes ongoing software upgrades,training and marketing support.

For Open MR that takes you to the farhorizon of mid-field performance, youcan depend on Hitachi and AIRIS Elite.

Timed Bolus MR Angiography using a low TE forvisualization of the renal arteries.

Detailed 10cm FOV coronal wrist using 2.5mm slicethickness. Eleven slices were acquired in 4:26.

Eleven T1-weighted Fast Spin Echo sagittal slices ofthe lumbar spine acquired in 5:18.

Uniform RF fat-saturation across the entire FOV onthis postcontrast soft tissue neck.

Single-shot EPI-DWI with RF-Fat Saturation and corre-sponding Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) map.

Axial cervical spine images are acquired using a thinslice 3D Balanced SARGE sequence. High resolutioncontributes to the nerve root detail.

Timed Bolus MR Angiography demonstrating the aorticarch and subclavian arteries. Low TE contributes toenhanced vessel delineation.

Sub-millimeter high-resolution images of the IAC’swere acquired using a Driven Equilibrium FSEsequence. The short scan time is a result of thehigh Echo Factor.

RAPID™ Parallel ImagingRAPID™ Parallel Imaging, with

purpose-designed coils including

head, extremity and body, can be

used to reduce total study time with

same image resolution, or increase

resolution with the same total study

time as conventional imaging.

High-resolution axial using parallelimaging with RAPID factor of 1.5 &256x256 matrix. 20 images in 2:43.

Gradient echo axial using a RAPIDfactor of 1.5. 15 slices obtained in3:28.

Axial using RAPID parallel imagingwith a factor of 1.5. 30 images wereobtained in 25 seconds

RF Fat SaturationOnce considered one of the bench-

marks of “high-field” MR systems,

Hitachi’s higher order Active Shim

technology on AIRIS Elite changes

the RF Fat-Sat paradigm, resulting in

consistent uniformity through the

image volume.

Axial orbits with uniform RF fat satu-ration for optic nerve visualization.

PD-weighted coronal shoulder imageexhibits uniform RF fat saturation across an18cm FOV with sub-millimeter resolution.

Uniform RF Fat saturation is seen onT2-weighted Driven Equilibrium FSEof the pelvis across a 24cm FOV.

The usage of 3D Phased Balanced SARGE in this sagit-tal knee image results in exceptional bony detail andhigh SNR.