The compact design of the Biograph mCT also makes the system more patient-friendly than conventional systems. An oversized 78 cm bore and short tunnel, in combination with an extra-wide and comfortable patient table designed for a capacity of 227 kilograms, are highly suitable for patients previously considered difficult to examine, such as bariatric or geriatric patients.
Dr. Gerald Antoch, head of the department and assistant director at the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology at the University Clinic Essen, envisions the combination of PET and high-performance Spiral CT opening up completely new possibilities in the area of hybrid oncological and cardiac diagnostics.
"It allows us to apply examination protocols specific to a particular disease in a patient-oriented manner," said Antoch. "Some excellent examples of this are PET/CT colonographies for patients suffering from colon cancer or hybrid cardiac imaging for patients with coronary cardiac pathologies."
In addition, the TrueV option expands the axial field of view of the PET portion of Biograph mCT by one-third - increasing the performance of the system enormously. When required, the physician is able to individually reduce the dose or scan times, or considerably improve image quality.
The system is also equipped with a premium-class CT system that can adjust to a patient's needs and medical requirements. As the first molecular CT scanner, Biograph mCT combines dynamic components, such as movable adaptive dose screening and a scan range of up to two meters. The scanner's high temporal resolution of up to 74 milliseconds, combined with up to 128 slices per rotation, enables display of even the finest anatomical details at reduced motion artifacts. Using the Adaptive Dose Shield, the system avoids unnecessary radiation during all examinations. This ensures that the patient is exposed only to the clinically required dose.
In addition, the Biograph mCT has experienced widespread adoption because it also offers a shared-service model, where the same capital investment can serve both radiology and molecular imaging needs. From a bottom-line perspective, the use of one integrated scanner that offers shared services between molecular imaging and radiology departments is a highly efficient means of making the most of an institution's imaging equipment and strengthening the existing workflows between the two departments.
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens is the only company to offer customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 49,000 employees worldwide and operates in over 130 countries. In fiscal year 2008 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.2 billion euros and profit of 1.2 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.
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