Toshiba unveils 320-element CT
Toshiba America Medical Systems introduced a 320-element detector onboard its FDA-cleared Aquilion One at the RSNA meeting. For years, the company had been talking about the development of a 256-slice CT. Rather than heating up the competition, Aquilion One, which features 20% more detector rows, may help put an end to benchmarking CT performance by the number of slices. Toshiba is framing the capabilities of its new system, which will be available in summer 2008, as providing dynamic volume CT. Marquee studies on display in the Toshiba booth — one in neuro, the other in cardiac imaging — demonstrate the temporal resolution possible with the new system's detector, which spans a width of 16 cm and rotates once every 350 msec. A single pass of the brain provides the volumetric data to produce CT angiogram, venogram, digital subtraction angiogram, and whole-brain perfusion images. A whole heart can be captured in a single rotation, although functional data require scanning for a full heart beat.
Philips offers 256-slice CT
Philips Medical Systems unveiled its 256-slice Brilliance iCT, which it is positioning as the ideal means for generating high-quality whole-organ coverage. The new scanner rotates four times per second, completing an entire heart exam in two beats. Scheduled to start shipping in the first quarter of 2008, the new technology — including redesigned x-ray tubes, detectors, and reconstruction design elements — cuts dose by up to 80%. It uses a smart focal spot to create 256 slices from 128 detector rows.
Just as the 256-slice Brilliance iCT allows Philips to leap toward the front of the CT pack, a new 64-slice system allows the company to handle demand for the previous industry benchmark. Philips has already shipped more than 30 of the new 64-slice CTs, which feature improved detector, x-ray tube, and reconstruction algorithms.
GE claims CT scans rival MR soft-tissue resolution
A radically redesigned CT platform unveiled by GE Healthcare produces images of soft tissue that rival those taken using MR, according to company executives, who are framing the platform as a new breed of CT scanner. A work-in-progress, both in technology and name, GE's new HD (high definition) CT generates 18 line pairs per centimeter, compared with 14 lp/cm on the LightSpeed VCT, to produce detail rarely seen in CT. HD scans can reveal soft tissue in the bowel, bladder, and prostate; liver vasculature and muscle stratification; and brain aneurysms and even the fine mesh of stents implanted to stabilize them.
Siemens debuts adaptive CT scanning
A work-in-progress CT platform takes image quality to a new level, according to Siemens Medical Solutions. The Definition AS (Adaptive Scanning) delivers 0.24-mm pixel spatial resolution and boosts temporal resolution with 300-msec rotations, 30 msec faster than the previous industry benchmark. The 10% improvement in speed helps resolve complex clinical structures such as the coronary artery, which typically moves in several planes as the heart beats. The heightened resolution also improves the potential for stroke assessment and characterization of cancerous tissue, according to the company. Workflow is aided by a 30-mega heat unit x-ray tube that allows the system to run at the highest power levels for an unlimited number of patients without the need for downtime for cooling. The Definition AS is slated to begin shipping in May 2008.
Siemens shows wide-bore 3T, low-cost 1.5T
A wide-bore 3T scanner small enough to fit in the same footprint as a 1.5T system debuted at Siemens' RSNA booth. At 170 cm, Verio is the shortest 3T on the market, according to the company, but the 70-cm bore diameter may be of greatest interest to prospective buyers. Announced four weeks ago, Verio can be "reasonably" equipped for less than $2 million, according to the company. It represents a new class of premium MR, offering hthe igh throughput and clinical reach conferred by 3T; patient comfort due to its short length and 70-cm bore; minimal operating costs; and siting advantages due to a short, ultralight magnet. Its wide bore, which shares the same diameter as Siemens' open-bore 1.5T Espree, allows for the diagnosis of obese patients by using a 550-pound table capacity.
Essenza, the most affordable 1.5T system in the industry, listing for under $1 million, also received its first public showing. It is competing with refurbished high-field scanners, sales of which have been gathering steam lately due to the increasing pressure on MR reimbursements, according to Siemens executives. Essenza, which was announced in mid-October, is being promoted as a premier choice for first-time buyers or veteran MR providers at cost-constrained sites, such as outpatient clinics, who want to upgrade from low-field MR.
Novel gamma camera enters market
Spectrum Dynamics unveiled the commercial version of its D-SPECT Cardiac gamma camera, which promises to cut the time typically needed to perform a SPECT heart scan by 75% or more. Time savings come from the camera's solid-state cadmium-zinc-telluride detectors and proprietary image reconstruction techniques, according to the company. Spectrum is targeting high-volume private cardiac labs and hospitals that put a premium on throughput and image quality. First unveiled as a work-in-progress at RSNA 2005, D-SPECT can perform resting heart scans in four minutes and stress tests in two, according to tests done at luminary sites. Conventional gamma cameras typically require 15 to 18 minutes for stress testing.
QStar launches PACS appliance
A newcomer to the RSNA exhibit floor, QStar Technologies introduced an all-in-one PACS solution, SyntryPACS, with a beginning list price of just $15,000. SyntryPACS builds on QStar's strengths as a 20-year veteran of the IT business and a supplier of storage equipment to PACS vendors. Company engineers layered PACS on top of an archive to create an all-in-one appliance priced for imaging operations with few dollars to spare. Most PACS are done the other way around, as developers come up with a PACS first and then add storage, or leave customers to add that piece.
