Toshiba America Medical Systems announced the FDA clearance of the AquilionPrime 80 series CT system, the latest addition to the Aquilion CT product line on 30 April 2012. Producing high-quality clinical images and reducing radiation exposure with Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3D (AIDR 3D), the system can generate 80 unique slices per rotation.
According to Toshiba, the Aquilion Prime 80 series, designed with in-field upgradeability to 160 slices, gives healthcare facilities the ability to perform a wide variety of advanced clinical procedures today and to grow as clinical needs expand.
The Aquilion Prime features a 0.5mm detector, a 7.5 MHU large-capacity tube and 0.35 second scanning. This high-speed rotation allows rapid data acquisition and shortens scan times while the fast reconstruction unit further improves throughput, all of which help provide faster, safer and more accurate diagnoses. The system also features a 78cm aperture gantry, the largest currently available in a high-end CT system. The combination of a 660-pound patient-weight-capacity couch with a large gantry bore makes the Aquilion Prime 80 series an ideal system for routine clinical scanning or bariatric patient studies.
To reinforce the principle of As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) imaging, AIDR 3D and NEMA XR 25 Dose Check Software are standard features on the Aquilion Prime 80 series. AIDR 3D, the newest dose-reduction technology for the Aquilion CT product line, is an iterative process that helps to remove noise from the image with reduced radiation dose. Toshiba’s NEMA XR 25 Dose Check Software enhances user awareness of the radiation dose being administered to patients. This software includes Dose Alert and Dose Notification, addressing the two main components of MITA’s CT Dose Check Initiative, as well as Tracking and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), to further enhance dose awareness.
“The Prime 80 series is an example of how Toshiba constantly develops new technologies to improve safety in imaging and patient care,” said Tim Nicholson, senior manager, Market Development, CT Business Unit, Toshiba. “Giving hospitals the opportunity to conduct advanced exams in mere seconds and grow clinical abilities based on patient needs results in improved patient care and overall departmental efficiency.”
