- The European Commission approves Medtronic's (MDT +0.2%) Activa portfolio of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy neurostimulators for MR Conditional full-body Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The clearance covers the ~13K people in Europe who are have already received a device in addition to future recipients.
- Previously, the DBS systems were cleared for MRI scans of the head only, under certain conditions. Also, they had to be turned off before the scan. Now, patients are able to continue receiving therapy during MRI scans. Many patients who are candidates for a DBS system have other conditions that frequently require MRI.