GE Healthcare sole supplier of MRI technology at Beijing Olympics

7 March 2008

GE Healthcare has been chosen as the sole supplier of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Two of GE Healthcare’s advanced MRI technologies, the Signa HDe 1.5T will be installed at the Olympic Village General Hospital and be accessible to be used on all international competing athletes during the Games.

MR imaging as a non-invasive technique is an optimal means of acquiring high-contrast images of both the bone structures and the soft tissue structures, which together create a complex joint such as the knee or shoulder. These body parts are of high risk for athletes as musculoskeletal injuries can occur any time.

This leads to the need to have leading imaging technologies such as MRI close to the game of play available to sports physicians to more accurately monitor an athlete’s condition and enable more tailored training and recovery protocols to be devised.

Every day an athlete spends in rehab is a day lost in training, which is why diagnosing injuries earlier or monitoring the recovery in real time is crucial for elite performance.

“At GE Healthcare we are very pleased to be the sole supplier of MRI equipment for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using GE Healthcare technology and expertise, clinicians can detect and diagnose injury and disease earlier and ensure better patient care. All athletes run a risk of injury and our experience in sports medicine as well as our customer feedback tells us how important it has become for athletes to have advanced MR technology such as the Signa HDe 1.5T on-site during training and competition at the Olympic Village General Hospital” commented Chih Chen, President of GE Healthcare China.

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