Siemens Medical Solutions has introduced Speed4D, a new CT technology that adds speed improvements, dose optimization, and workflow management advances, according to the Malvern, PA-based vendor.
Speed4D will be demonstrated at the American Heart Association meeting in November and will be officially unveiled at the 2003 RSNA meeting in Chicago. The technology is based around the new Straton x-ray tube, which provides a routine gantry speed of 0.37 seconds per rotation in both cardiac and whole-body applications. A scanner with Speed4D can complete a procedure in 20 seconds due to sub-millimeter scanning with a 500 milliampere (mA) setting, Siemens said.
Siemens said that Straton also provides direct cooling of the x-ray tube anode, allowing for cooling rates of five million heat units (MHU) per minute and elimination of the need for large heat-storage capacities. In addition, Straton’s anode and inner tube assembly are smaller and have longer tube life than conventional x-ray CT tubes, according to the vendor.
Another Speed4D component, WorkStream4D, eliminates the need for manual reconstruction steps, Siemens said. The software reconstructs up to 10 images per second in real-time mode, and up to five images per second with full cone reconstruction. WorkStream4D also significantly reduces the amount of data produced with each case, according to the vendor.
CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) Dose4D analyzes the cross-sectional anatomy of patients in real-time and adjusts the emitted x-ray dose accordingly, Siemens said.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
October 20, 2003
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