Siemens launches new dual-source CT with promises of lower radiation doses
Siemens Healthcare this week at the Radiological Society of North America meeting introduced its Somatom Definition Flash, a dual-source CT scanner that can scan the heart in less than a second, delivering less than 1 mSv of effective radiation dose. The scanner will be available for sale in the first quarter of 2009.
The company said that its Somatom Definition Flash features two x-ray tubes that simultaneously revolve around the patient's body. The CT scanning speed is 43 centimeters per second (cm/s) with a temporal resolution of 75 ms, enabling scans of the chest region in 0.6 s.
The first test system installations will occur at the Institute of Radiology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, followed by U.S. sites, such as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, according to Andre Hartung, vice president of CT marketing and sales at Siemens.
The Somatom Definition Flash scanner already has FDA 510(k) clearance, said Alexander Zimmerman, director of product marketing for CT at Siemens. He noted that the system will cost approximately $2 million.
The company said that its Somatom Definition Flash features two x-ray tubes that simultaneously revolve around the patient's body. The CT scanning speed is 43 centimeters per second (cm/s) with a temporal resolution of 75 ms, enabling scans of the chest region in 0.6 s.
The first test system installations will occur at the Institute of Radiology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, followed by U.S. sites, such as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, according to Andre Hartung, vice president of CT marketing and sales at Siemens.
The Somatom Definition Flash scanner already has FDA 510(k) clearance, said Alexander Zimmerman, director of product marketing for CT at Siemens. He noted that the system will cost approximately $2 million.