FDA Clears Siemens' CT Iterative Reconstruction Protocol

Siemens’ computed tomography (CT) iterative reconstruction protocol has been cleared by the FDA for domestic sale, the company announced Wednesday.

The Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction (SAFIRE) algorithm for image reconstruction allows for a reduction of radiation dose in CT exams, the company said. Use of projection of faw data during the process enables a reduction of subtle image artifacts and thus an improvement in image quality.

SAFIRE helps reduce dose by up to 60 percent, compared to previous filtered back projection techniques, the company said.

SAFIRE’s reconstruction speed of 20 images per second enables reconstruction of a typical high-resolution thorax exam of 30 cm in 15 seconds, according to Siemens.

“Independent scientific validation of our products has always been a cornerstone of our development process. We are extremely excited that the FDA now recognizes these efforts and, to our knowledge, for the first time has allowed a quantitative dose reduction claim for an iterative reconstruction technique in the industry,: Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD, director of global scientific marketing, Siemens Healthcare Computed Tomography, said in a statement.

SAFIRE was unveiled at last year’s RSNA as a work-in-progress. It is available for Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash and SOMATOM Definition AS CT systems and will be available on the Definition DS in mid-2012.