16- and 64-Slice CT Systems Provide Dose-Saving Features

With its favorable price/performance ratio, newly developed scanners makes it easier for hospitals and practices worldwide to enter the arena of computed tomography (CT) imaging.

At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2010, held in March 2010 in Vienna, Austria, Siemens Healthcare (Erlangen, Germany) introduced their Excel Editions for CT scanning. The Somatom Emotion Excel Edition is based on the Somatom Emotion, a 16-row CT scanner whose qualities have been proven by a large number of installed systems. The Somatom Definition AS Excel Edition is an affordable version of the high-end, 64-slice Somatom Definition AS scanner. It combines a very comprehensive range of dose-saving features such as the Adaptive Dose Shield with outstanding clinical performance and highly advanced clinical applications. Both new CT scanners are planned for available delivery worldwide as of May 2010.

With the Excel Editions of its Somatom Emotion and Somatom Definition AS CT scanners, Siemens Healthcare is introducing two especially cost-effective entry-level models for 16-row and 64-row CT to the market. "Our goal is to offer cost-effective scanners to especially price-conscious customers without making any tradeoffs regarding performance, image quality and dose reduction. This is exactly what the systems from our Excel Edition offer, not only to the advantage of clinics and practices, but to the benefit of patients as well, because considerably more patients than ever before can thus profit from the advantages of these levels of CT examination,” said Dr. Sami Atiya, CEO of computed tomography at Siemens Healthcare.

Above all, the Somatom Emotion Excel Edition should enable price-conscious radiologic departments to use a 16-row CT scanner with which all routine examinations can be covered. The performance features of this CT scanner are chiefly aimed at accelerating the owner's return on investment and reducing the total cost of ownership over the lifecycle of the system. For example, its especially low energy consumption and low heat dissipation reduce the costs for the power supply and air conditioning over the life of the CT system.

The Somatom Definition AS Excel Edition addresses the growing market for entry-level 64-slice scanners that currently faces a strong trend towards commoditization, however at the same time also requires specialized examinations such as noninvasive cardiac diagnostics. In this area, systems capable of completing both routine and advanced examinations are particularly sought-after. The Somatom Definition AS Excel Edition offers outstanding prerequisites for achieving this, since the system features a 0.33 second rotation time, 0.33 mm isotropic resolution, a scan range of up to 200 cm, a 78-cm gantry opening and a table with a load capacity of up to 300 kg to enhance its operational versatility.

Both scanners of the Excel Edition are equipped with comprehensive CARE functions (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure). CARE is a Siemens initiative to reduce the radiation dose required for CT examinations. The CARE Dose4D (four-dimensional) software for automatic dose modulation analyzes the cross-sectional anatomy of each individual patient in real time and adapts the emitted X-ray dose accordingly without requiring any intervention by the user. This simplifies the scanning process considerably and also yields optimal image quality at the lowest possible dose level even for obese and pediatric examinations. Dose savings of up to 68% can thus be realized for an average adult patient.

The Somatom Definition AS Excel Edition also features an Adaptive Dose Shield that blocks unnecessary radiation. This ensures that the patient is exposed only to the clinically relevant dose.

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