The 28th annual congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) set the stage in Hamburg, Germany for Siemens Healthcare to introduce a number of innovations to their line of nuclear medicine products.

The Biograph RT Pro Edition, a new treatment planning PET/CT solution for radiation therapy, as well as a new version of the Biograph mMR software that reduces examination times and generates better images in MR/PET, were among the products on display.

But the main draw from Siemens was an attractively priced premium PET/CT scanner, Biograph Horizon. The company stated the system will enable clinicians to serve a broader mix of patients and expand into new service lines without compromising on quality due to budget constraints.
It achieves that in part by being compliant with every commercially available PET tracer in oncology, neurology, and cardiology. In addition, in order to visualize smaller lesions, the system's 4 mm LSO crystals scintillate faster and have a higher light output, which allows for superior image quality and an optional Time-of-Flight functionality.

"Biograph Horizon simplifies staff's daily routine by automating manual tasks and offering protocol-based exams to increase productivity. For example, Quanti QC runs quality control procedures overnight, scans can be performed in as fast as five minutes, and reconstruction runs alongside acquisition for image delivery just 30 seconds after the scan," the company said in a statement.

Compared to other PET/CT scanners on the market, the Biograph Horizon is also the smallest system with the lowest power requirements, which Siemens said will reduce the capital investment for care providers who choose to purchase it.

The Biograph Horizon is still pending FDA 510(k) clearance.

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