Siemens Healthcare has announced that the Somatom Definition Edge single-source computed tomography (CT) system the first single-source CT to use Siemens’ recently introduced Stellar Detector has been approved for sale in the United States.
The system’s Stellar Detector which for the first time fully integrates the detector’s miniaturised electronics with the photodiode has the potential to significantly reduce electronic noise and cross-talk and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images. The increased spatial resolution may potentially benefit critical cases such as emergency diagnostics and cardiovascular examinations, where every additional visible micrometer can be beneficial.
“Physicians are potentially able to visualise even the finest details of the vascular system or micro fractures of the bone, which may potentially provide more detailed information when they are attempting to identify coronary artery blockages or subtle spinal fractures that, if undiscovered, could result in paralysis,” says Kulin Hemani, US vice president of CT, Siemens Healthcare. “These revolutionary innovations have the potential to help clinicians make more sound diagnoses, even for the most challenging cases such as trauma and bariatric patients.”
The system can enable visualisation of structures up to 0.30 millimetres, with potential improvement in image sharpness. It has a rotation speed as fast as 0.28 seconds and can acquire up to 23 cm/s. And the new Dual Energy mode enables the system to scan at two different tube voltages to help better characterise tissue types.
