Siemens unveils CT dose reduction

New software shown by Siemens at the RSNA meeting promises to cut patient exposure to x-rays by as much as 60% for a wide range of CT applications. The iterative reconstruction package, dubbed iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS), is expected to begin shipping next year on new Somatom Definition CT scanners, including the dual-energy Definition Flash CT. An upgrade is being developed for installed Definition systems.

The software minimizes computing time, according to the company, by accelerating the convergence of the reconstruction. It does so by applying the raw data reconstruction only once. During this newly developed initial raw data reconstruction, a “master image” is generated that contains all the raw data information. The following iterative corrections are then performed consecutively in the image space. The resulting images are reduced in artifacts and noise, show increased image sharpness, and are created at a dose savings up to 60%, according to Siemens.