Magnetic Resonance Scanner Delivers Top Performance in Mummy Test

SIEMENSA historical mummy was the object of an endurance test which Siemens underwent in cooperation with a team of researchers from the University of Zurich to answer the question: Can the new software for magnetic resonance tomographs (MR) provide insight into the anatomy and disease characteristics of the human being, even for those parts of the human body which, even more so for a mummy, contain almost no water? Siemens is currently developing specific software for picking up the signal from dry tissue and converting it into sharp images. This software might allow visualization of even fine bone structures without X-rays in the future.

Up to now, visualization of body tissue through an MR system was only possible based on the tissue's different water contents. Hence, it was primarily soft tissue that physicians saw on MR images, and not, for example, details of the bone structure, as will be possible with the new software. "Not only orthopedic surgeons will be pleased – our software will also support neurologists when examining, for example, patients with Alzheimer's disease with the aid of such MR images, or monitoring the body metabolism," explained Walter Märzendorfer, the head of Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Medical Solutions.

What many patients will consider great progress in gentle medicine is already a milestone in the research on mummies. "The new software from Siemens provides us for the first time with an absolutely non-destructive examination method without having to moisten valuable tissue before the examination," says Dr. Dr. Frank Rühli, manager of the Swiss Mummy Project, Anatomical Institute, University of Zurich. Various ancient Egyptian and Peruvian mummies have been examined with MR scanners from Siemens. This method also allowed a particularly close examination of parts of the intervertebral disks or embalming substances used for mummification in ancient Egypt.

About Siemens Medical Solutions
Siemens Medical Solutions is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Medical Solutions will be the first fully integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. The company delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care - from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Siemens Medical Solutions employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. According to IFRS, in the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30), Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of €9.85 billion, orders of €10.27 billion, and group profit of €1.32 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/medical.

Most Popular Now

AI Catches One-Third of Interval Breast …

An AI algorithm for breast cancer screening has potential to enhance the performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), reducing interval cancers by up to one-third, according to a study published...

Great plan: Now We need to Get Real abou…

The government's big plan for the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS laid out a big role for delivery. However, the Highland Marketing advisory board felt the missing implementation...

Researchers Create 'Virtual Scienti…

There may be a new artificial intelligence-driven tool to turbocharge scientific discovery: virtual labs. Modeled after a well-established Stanford School of Medicine research group, the virtual lab is complete with an...

From WebMD to AI Chatbots: How Innovatio…

A new research article published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine unveils how successive waves of digital technology innovation have empowered patients, fostering a more collaborative and responsive health care...

New AI Tool Accelerates mRNA-Based Treat…

A new artificial intelligence (AI) model can improve the process of drug and vaccine discovery by predicting how efficiently specific mRNA sequences will produce proteins, both generally and in various...

AI also Assesses Dutch Mammograms Better…

AI is detecting tumors more often and earlier in the Dutch breast cancer screening program. Those tumors can then be treated at an earlier stage. This has been demonstrated by...

RSNA AI Challenge Models can Independent…

Algorithms submitted for an AI Challenge hosted by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) have shown excellent performance for detecting breast cancers on mammography images, increasing screening sensitivity while...

AI could Help Emergency Rooms Predict Ad…

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help emergency department (ED) teams better anticipate which patients will need hospital admission, hours earlier than is currently possible, according to a multi-hospital study by the...

Head-to-Head Against AI, Pharmacy Studen…

Students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree routinely take - and pass - rigorous exams to prove competency in several areas. Can ChatGPT accurately answer the same questions? A new...

NHS Active 10 Walking Tracker Users are …

Users of the NHS Active 10 app, designed to encourage people to become more active, immediately increased their amount of brisk and non-brisk walking upon using the app, according to...

New AI Tool Illuminates "Dark Side…

Proteins sustain life as we know it, serving many important structural and functional roles throughout the body. But these large molecules have cast a long shadow over a smaller subclass...

Deep Learning-Based Model Enables Fast a…

Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally. Ischemic stroke, strongly linked to atherosclerotic plaques, requires accurate plaque and vessel wall segmentation and quantification for definitive diagnosis. However, conventional...