Siemens Healthcare has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) CT algorithm.
First showcased at the 2010 RSNA meeting as a work-in-progress, the image reconstruction software and hardware yields CT radiation dose reduction of up to 60% compared with previous filtered back-projection techniques, according to the vendor.
Siemens said that its use of projection raw data during the iterative image improvement process also reduces subtle image artifacts.
The technique provides a reconstruction speed of 20 images per second, allowing for reconstruction of a typical high-resolution thorax examination of 30 cm in 15 seconds, Siemens said.
SAFIRE, which was developed within Siemens' Agenda 2013 initiative, can be applied routinely in clinical practice, the company said.
