Siemens Healthcare will present its two new 16- and 32-slice configurations at this year’s JFR French radiology convention (Journées Françaises de Radiologie) in Paris. These new models make numerous high-end technologies available to a broader clientele for the first time with an additional option to upgrade the systems later to the established 64- and 128-slice configurations. For all four configurations, Siemens now offers the eCockpit technology package, which reportedly makes the Somatom Perspective not only easier and more cost-efficient to use, but also lengthens the systems’ service life. The eMode function, for example, helps reduce equipment downtime by more than 20 per cent. With the Somatom Perspective, Siemens Healthcare expands its product range in the lower and medium-priced segments, once again underscoring the sector’s competitive strength as part of the Agenda 2013 Initiative.
The two additional configurations allow Siemens Healthcare customers to tailor a CT system individually to fit their particular clinical needs. For example, the 16-slice configuration is suitable above all for routine scans in oncology and for imaging the head, lungs, abdomen, or chest. However, the model is also useful in pain therapy to ensure that analgesics are delivered to the right place during surgery. The 32-slice configuration provides more detailed imaging for bone fractures, examinations of the inner ear, or vascular applications; whereas the 64-slice scanner has remarkably fast image acquisition. With particularly short scanning times, the 128-slice configuration is especially suitable for diagnostics in cardiology and paediatrics. The Somatom Perspective also makes it possible to expand the range of scan types at a clinic or surgery at a later time: The two new models can be upgraded to 64- or 128-slice configurations whenever desired.
High-end technologies such as Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction (Safire) will also be available for the first time in the segment of 16- and 32-slice CT scanners. The iterative image reconstruction method reportedly enables to reduce radiation dose by as much as 60 per cent, or improve image quality correspondingly. In future it will also be possible to acquire single source Dual Energy images with any Somatom Perspective model. With this innovation, the same region of the body is scanned twice in succession at two different tube voltages, i.e. energy levels, using half the radiation dose each time. Merging the two image datasets provides information not only about pure morphology, but also additional details about the composition of the scanned tissue. For example, metal artifacts – caused by implants such as artificial hip joints – can be distinguished more clearly from tissue and bone structures.
All four models will include the eCockpit technology package, which adds two new features to the established eMode function and further reduces the costs of operating a CT scanner: eStart extends X-ray tube life by gently preheating the tubes before a scan. eSleep puts the gantry into sleep mode if unused for a longer period, thus helping to save electricity.
If users have a Siemens Service Agreement and use eMode for more than 80 per cent of their CT scans, they receive additional service advantages. For example, customers in Germany are given a discount of up to ten percent on service costs. Users in France and Australia receive a comprehensive operating guarantee: If their Somatom Perspective is ever out of use, they are reimbursed a fixed amount per missed scan. The new Somatom Perspective configurations are available from May 2014.
EH News Bureau
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