Diagnostic imaging  

Siemens expands its 16-slice CT scanner portfolio

4 March 2005

Siemens Medical Solutions has announced the new SOMATOM Emotion 16. It enables hospitals and private practices with limited budgets or space allocations to install a 16-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner suitable for comprehensive clinical applications.

The SOMATOM Emotion 16 and all its components require only 18.5m2 installation space because, as an air cooled system, it does not need an external cooling device outside the gantry.

From a clinical perspective, the new scanner offers every advantage of a modern 16-slice system: image acquisition without movement artifacts, thanks to short breath-hold times, high diagnostic image quality, thanks to a collimation of down to 0.6mm, a maximum gantry rotation speed of 0.5 seconds and a comprehensive set of clinical applications. Among these are, for example, syngo LungCARE CT with NEV (Nodule Enhanced Viewing) and syngo Colonography with PEV (Polyp Enhanced Viewing) for the computer supported visualisation of lung lesions and colon polyps. These can be a pre-stage to cancer. The gantry rotation speed of 0.5 seconds, combined with 16-slice technology, also enables the visualisation of small vessels and of cardiac anatomy with ECG-synchronised protocols. For radiation therapy planning, the recently introduced CT Respiratory Gating application software permits the visualisation of the movement of lung tumours during breathing and an extended Field of View capability (from 50 to 70 cms) is available.

Additionally, the SOMATOM Emotion 16 is equipped with comprehensive CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) functions, Siemens' initiative to reduce radiation exposure in CT examinations. CARE Dose4D software for automated dose adaptation analyses the cross-sectional anatomy of each individual patient in real time and adjusts the emitted X-ray dose accordingly — without need for user interaction. It greatly simplifies scanning procedures and results in the best image quality with the lowest possible radiation dose for both large-volume and paediatric examinations. Clinical results with CARE Dose4D indicate up to 66% reduction in dose for the average adult patient.

The optional CARE Vision software automatically reduces dose for physician and patient in CT-guided interventions such as drainages, biopsies, or pain therapy. HandCARE automatically switches off the X-ray beam at three different positions (10 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock) for a 100 degree angle. As a result, HandCARE prevents direct exposure of the surgeon's hand, while still delivering optimal image quality. With their compact gantry (24 cm from the front of the gantry to the scan plane), the SOMATOM Emotion scanners provide easy access to the patient and are therefore frequently used in interventional CT.

With a reconstruction speed of up to 16 images per second, the SOMATOM Emotion 16 enables a fast diagnosis. Additionally, the optional WorkStream4D software tool permits the direct 3D reconstruction of raw data in a pre-defined series of image planes. It eliminates the need for manual reconstruction steps: within standardised protocols, the user selects the image planes required for diagnosis and the software does the rest. Acquisition and display of oblique and double oblique images of the body is much faster than before, enabling faster diagnosis even for more complex anatomy.

After completing a comprehensive testing phase at clinical institutions in Europe, the United States and Asia, the SOMATOM Emotion 16 will be commercially available in Autumn 2005.

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