Canon Medical Systems has launched a project with the National Cancer Center Japan to evaluate a new photon-counting CT scanner.
Photon-counting CT scanners use x-ray detectors that count the exact number of incoming photons and measure their energy individually. Standard systems, on the other hand, use energy-integrating detectors (EID) to measure total x-ray energy during measurement periods. Thus, photon-counting CT obtains spectral information, and unlike EIDs, can effectively filter out electronic noise.
Photon-counting CT can deliver higher resolution and lower radiation exposure compared with conventional CT, Canon said.
The goal of the joint research effort is to improve accuracy in the quantitative analysis of cancer chemotherapeutic agents in the human body, the company said. The effort is based on a framework agreement formalized in July 2020 and a basic joint research agreement in November with the National Cancer Center Japan.
