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    Imaging

    Discover Our New CT Portfolio

    4min
    Published on November 29, 2017

    Our new CT scanner portfolio covers all requirements and customer needs regarding CT imaging. With innovative workflow technologies, our new scanners help deliver standardized, high-quality examinations that support clinical users on their way to precision medicine, while at the same time may potentially improve patient experience.

    Mobile workflow for improved patient experience

    Our tablet-based, mobile workflows allow radiology technologists to stay close to their patients during the entire scan preparation process, which makes the experience much more pleasant for patients, especially if they are children. With the new models SOMATOM go.All1 and SOMATOM go.Top1, we have expanded the range of clinical applications available for the patient-centric mobile workflow. Users can now use all SOMATOM go. platform’s advantages in advanced clinical fields such as emergency medicine, interventional radiology (with Guide&GO, the first tablet-based solution for CT-guided interventions), and even cardiology, which is a major growth area for many healthcare providers because of the sharp rise in coronary CT angiography. Thanks to the scanners’ new X-ray tube, users can now adjust the tube voltage in steps of 10 kilovolts while keeping the tube current high – which means they can adapt settings to each patient’s individual anatomy.

    Examinations performed at just 70 kilovolts with a current of up to 825 milliamps, for instance, can significantly reduce X-ray dose and the amount of contrast medium required. SOMATOM go.Top1 also offers TwinBeam Dual Energy imaging, which means users can examine the same body region at two different energy levels simultaneously. The technology splits the X-ray beam into two energy spectra before it reaches the patient. With a scan mode that is not different to a routine CT examination, TwinBeam Dual Energy can therefore acquire two image datasets that provide additional information about the tissue. This is particularly beneficial in soft tissue differentiation and for oncology. A further innovative hardware design is the new injector arm. This smart and ergonomic solution allows users to swivel the tablet and the injectorsystem around the gantry, positioning them wherever needed.

    Innovations for precision medicine

    With our high-end systems – SOMATOM Edge Plus1, SOMATOM Drive, and SOMATOM Force1 – we are introducing to the market the innovative FAST (fully assisting scanner technologies) Integrated Workflow with the brand new FAST 3D Camera1. Using artificial intelligence and deep learning technology, the camera automatically facilitates precise and consistent isocentric positioning of patients. By reducing unwarranted variations and the potential to fewer scans, diagnostics is more precise and involves lower costs. In many CT examinations, incorrect patient positioning is an obstacle to achieving optimal results. Studies [1] show an average positioning misalignment of 2.6 centimeters in 95 percent of scans. This results in more image noise or – to counteract the noise – in increased dose levels.

    Automatic positioning of the patient is now possible with the new FAST 3D Camera1. A 3D camera above the patient table uses artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies to recognize the patient’s anatomical landmarks. This means institutions can avoid repeat scans, decrease the time required for both patients and staff, and therefore benefit from precise diagnostics at lower cost. The two touch-operated control panels fitted directly on the scanner allow radiology staff to stay close to the patient during the majority of the time needed for scan preparation.

    Innovations for precision medicine

    The new single-source SOMATOM Edge Plus1 system provides a powerful imaging chain for scanning obese patients with diagnostic confidence by enabling sharp and rich-in-contrast images at high speed and low dose. In addition, the scanner is equipped with TwinBeam Dual Energy scan modes and the Tin Filter technology that facilitates CT scans at very low doses by shielding patients from clinically irrelevant radiation. Tin Filter technology can be used in all routine examinations and allows users to perform CT imaging at very low dose values which, in the case of lung cancer screening for instance, do not exceed those of a normal X-ray examination. With the introduction of the new scanners, Tin Filter technology is now available across the complete Siemens Healthineers CT portfolio.

    When it comes to highly challenging situations, the new version of the SOMATOM Force1 system achieves impressive results. One example here is functional imaging. Although functional imaging provides additional image information, the high levels of radiation involved mean that it has yet to become routine in many applications. SOMATOM Force1 allows functional imaging to become part of clinical practice because it offers a perfusion range of up to 22 centimeters that can cover entire organs. Its Vectron X-ray tubes with a power-independent focal spot size of just 0.4 × 0.5 (IEC), and the highly sensitive StellarInfinity detector make SOMATOM Force1 the ideal scanner when high-speed (up to 737 mm/s), large-volume coverage combined with outstanding image quality is a must. Furthermore, the scanner offers precise and dose-neutral quantification with the best spectral separation in Dual Energy CT acquisition to generate high-quality diagnostic results. Moreover, it sets new standards when it comes to image postprocessing. Rapid Results Technology allows the dual-source scanner to communicate directly with syngo.via for zero-click postprocessing. As a result, large Dual Energy CT datasets are sent automatically to the picture archiving system (PACS). This task is now part of standard reconstruction and enables standardized and consistent image quality independent of operator skill level.
     

    new single-source SOMATOM Edge Plus

    Related Links

    1. Li J, Udayasankar UK, Toth TL et al. Automatic patient centering for MDCT: effect on radiation dose. AJR 2007; 188: 547 – 552 and Kaasalainen T, Palmu K, Lampinen A et al. Effect of vertical positioning on organ dose, image noise and contrast in pediatric chest CT-phantom study. Pediatric radiology 2013; 43: 673 – 684.

    1. The product/feature is pending 510(k) clearance, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.

      The products/features (here mentioned) are not commercially available in all countries. Due to regulatory reasons their future availability cannot be guaranteed. Further details are available from the local Siemens organizations.

    2. The statements by Siemens’ customers described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer's unique setting. Since there is no "typical" hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, level of IT adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results.