somatom session 29

Answers for life in Computed Tomography

SOMATOM Sessions

29

Issue Number 29 / November 2011International Edition

Cover Story A Critical “Edge” When Seconds CountPage 6

News syngo.via: New Clinical Opportunities with Brand New CT Software Applications2

Business Value Added MaxPage 26

Clinical ResultsFlash Scanning of CoronaryCTA with just 0.3 mSvPage 38

Science From Mannheim to Shanghai: a Viable Model for Future International Research CollaborationsPage 68

On account of certain regional limitations of sales rights and service availability, we cannot guarantee that all products included in this brochure are available through the Siemens sales organization worldwide. Availability and packaging may vary by country and is subject to change without prior notice. Some/All of the features and products described herein may not be available in the United States.

The information in this document contains general technical descriptions of specifications and options as well as standard and optional features which do not always have to be present in individual cases.

Siemens reserves the right to modify the design, packaging, specifications and options described herein without prior notice. Please contact your local Siemens sales representative for the most current information.

Note: Any technical data contained in this document may vary within defined tolerances. Original images always lose a certain amount of detail when reproduced.

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Note in accordance with § 33 Para.1 of the German Federal Data Protection Law: Despatch is made using an address file which is maintained with the aid of an automated data processing system.SOMATOM Sessions with a total circulation of 35,000 copies is sent free of charge to Siemens Computed Tomography customers, qualified physicians and radiology departments throughout the world. It includes reports in the English language on Computed Tomography: diagnostic and therapeutic methods and their applica-tion as well as results and experience gained with corresponding systems and solutions. It introduces from case to case new principles and procedures and dis-cusses their clinical potential.The statements and views of the authors in the individual contributions do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.The information presented in these articles and case reports is for illustration only and is not intended to be relied upon by the reader for instruction as to the prac-tice of medicine. Any health care practitioner reading this information is remind-ed that they must use their own learning, training and expertise in dealing with their individual patients. This material does not substitute for that duty and is not intended by Siemens Medical Solutions to be used for any purpose in that regard.

The drugs and doses mentioned herein are consistent with the approval labeling for uses and/or indications of the drug. The treating physician bears the sole responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, including drugs and doses prescribed in connection with such use. The Operating Instructions must always be strictly followed when operating the CT System. The sources for the technical data are the corresponding data sheets. Results may vary.Partial reproduction in printed form of individual contributions is permitted, pro-vided the customary bibliographical data such as author’s name and title of the contribution as well as year, issue number and pages of SOMATOM Sessions are named, but the editors request that two copies be sent to them. The written consent of the authors and publisher is required for the complete reprinting of an article.We welcome your questions and comments about the editorial content of SOMATOM Sessions. Manuscripts as well as suggestions, proposals and informa-tion are always welcome; they are carefully examined and submitted to the edito-rial board for attention. SOMATOM Sessions is not responsible for loss, damage, or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts or other materials. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, and space. Include your name, address, and phone number and send to the editors, address above.

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Editorial

“With the introduction of two completely new systems at this year’s RSNA conference, we have shown our strength in innovation and that we listen carefully to our customers.”

Walter Märzendorfer, Chief Executive Officer, Business Unit Computed Tomography and Radiation Oncology, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

SOMATOM Sessions is also available on the internet: www.siemens.com/SOMATOM-Sessions

SOMATOM Sessions – IMPRINT© 2011 by Siemens AG, Berlin and MunichAll Rights Reserved

Publisher:Siemens AGMedical SolutionsComputed Tomography & Radiation OncologySiemensstraße 1, 91301 Forchheim, Germany

Chief Editors:Monika Demuth, PhD([email protected])Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD([email protected])

Clinical Editor:Xiaoyan Chen, MD([email protected])

Project Management: Sandra Kolb

Responsible for Contents: Peter Seitz

Editorial Board:Xiaoyan Chen, MD, Monika Demuth, PhD, Heidrun Endt, MD, Andreas Fischer, Tanja Gassert, Julia Hölscher, Sandra Kolb, Axel Lorz, Peter Seitz, Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD

Authors of this issue:Laura Avery, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Ralf W. Bauer, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Martin Beeres, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Arthur Borgonovi, MD, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil

Liz D‘Arcy, DCR, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford, Ireland

Richard Deignan, MD, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford, Ireland

Florian Fintelmann, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Wang Gang, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Katrien Geboers, MD, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Rajiv Gupta, MD PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Sally Gysbrechts, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Brian Ghoshhajra, MD, MBA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

Rui Juan Han, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Prof. Norinari Honda, MD, Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Japan

Dany Jasinowodolinski, MD, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil

Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

J. Matthias Kerl, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Li Gang Li, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Ruth Lim, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Li Jun Ma, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Jean Meyskens, MD, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

PD Georg Mühlenbruch, MD University Hospital Aachen, Germany

Garrett Rowe, MD Medical University of South Carolina, Charlston, SC, USA

Iwan Scheelen, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Boris Schell, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Joseph U. Schoepf, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, Charlston, SC, USA

Harald Seifarth, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Kai Sun, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Thomas J. Vogl, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Prof. Martin Wiesmann, MD, University Hospital Aachen, Germany

Hisami Yanagita,Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Japan

Qiao-wei Zhang, MD, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

Shi-zheng Zhang, MD, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

Tony De Lisa, external writer, Germany; Amy K. Erickson, Medical editor, San Francisco bay area, USA; Ingrid Horn, Scientific writer, Germany; Eric Johnson, external journalist, Germany; Justus Krüger, Freelance Journalist, Hong Kong,China; Ruth Wissler, Spirit Link Medical, Erlangen, Germany

Thomas Allmendinger, PhD; Karin Barthel; Florian Belohlavek; Tiago Campos; Monika Demuth, PhD; Jochen Dormeier, MD; Ivo Driesser; Heidrun Endt, MD; Jan Freund; Ulrike Haberland; Eri Hirayama; Susanne Hölzer; Christianne Leidecker, PhD; Katharina Linseisen; Bo Liu, PhD; Marion Meusel; Katharina Otani, PhD; Harald Schöndube, PhD; Philip Stenner, PhD; Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD; Susanne von Vietinghoff; Sebastian Vogt;

Photo Credits: Simon Hayter / Aurora; Stefan Sahm; Thomas Meyer (Ostkreuz); Christian Weiss

Production and PrePress: Norbert Moser, Kerstin Putzer, Siemens AG, Healtchare Sector

Desing and Editorial Consulting: Independent Medien-Design, Munich, Germany In cooperation with Primafila AG, Zurich, Switzerland Managing Editor: Christa KrickPhoto Editor: Anja KellnerLayout: Andreas Brunner, Claudia Diem, Mathias Frisch, Melina Lopez-RuizAll at: Widenmayer straße 16, 80538 Munich, Germany

The entire editorial staff here at Siemens Healthcare extends their appreciation to all the experts, radiologists, scholars, physicians and technicians, who donated their time and energy – without payment – in order to share their expertise with the readers of SOMATOM Sessions.

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Cover Story

News

Business

Clinical Results

Science

Cover page: Courtesy of German Heart Center, Departments of Cardiology and Radiology, Munich, Germany


Editorial

Dear Reader,

In all healthcare systems around the world, hospitals and clinics are facing the challenge of minimizing spiraling costs without compromising on patient care. Our vision, to create CT innovations that lift clinical practice to the next level of excellence and enable wide access to better patient care, has to meet those challenges. By working closely with the physicians and physicists who use our systems in clinical routine, we are con-vinced that this balance can be achieved. The outcome are products, that meet today’s demands in modern patient care, and add innovations that help con-trol costs and make your CT operations economically sound.

The latest result of our extensive research and development in this direc-tion is the SOMATOM® Perspective1, which is presented at this year’s RSNA conference. This new 128-slice Single Source CT scanner showcases a wide range of CT technologies at an afford-able price, and is also suitable for smaller clinics. It scans an adult thorax in about 3 seconds and supports our state-of-the-art iterative reconstruction SAFIRE2 at a speedy 15 images/second. At the same time, its all-new eMode allows you to operate the scanner in an outstanding patient-friendly and finan-cially efficient way. This thoughtful bal-

ance will help you to manage your financial performance – which is why we call it the business class in CT.

For added benefits in workflow optimiza-tion, we have enhanced syngo.via3 with a wide range of applications designed to streamline your clinical efficiency. These will help you to assess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and offer you dedi-cated TAVI workflows – to name just two examples. In addition, we carefully lis-tened to your feedback and implemented many of your suggestions to make our paradigm-changing thin-client solution more intuitive than ever.

But we also remain focused on innova-tions powered by high-end technology, such as the SOMATOM Definition Edge4 – a completely new and extremely fast single source scanner developed for high-resolution, low noise imaging. Its core technology is the unique Stellar Detec-tor,4 the first fully-integrated detector in the industry, featuring the highest rou-tine spatial resolution and dose-opti-mized Dual Energy applications. The SOMATOM Definition Edge is ideal for clinics introducing premium CT services, as well as institutions that want to main-tain a leading edge in their offerings. For utmost performance, the Stellar Detector will also be available on our flagship

scanner, the Dual Source SOMATOM Definition Flash.1 Its unique scan speed and temporal resolution will be brought to a new level with ultra-high spatial resolution, for finer and sharper image details than ever.

The Stellar Detector also marks another step in our endeavor to reduce dose in CT. Its capability to minimize noise makes it highly suited for your efforts to scan with the lowest possible dose, at levels that were thought unachieveable just a few years ago. As such, it perfectly blends with our raw data-based iterative recon-struction SAFIRE, two unique tools to help you implement the ALARA principle in your institution – for best possible patient care.

By working closely with our customers, we have recognized future trends and brought cutting-edge technology and cost-effective solutions to the present. See for yourself how close we are to achieving our vision in this issue of SOMATOM Sessions.

Feedback in the form of criticisms or suggestions will be gladly received.

Sincerely,

Peter Seitz,Vice President Marketing,

Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany


Peter Seitz

1 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S.2 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.3 syngo.via can be used as a stand-alone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options, which are medical devices in their own rights.4 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.

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Cover Story

Content

Cover Story

6 A Critical “Edge” When Seconds Count

News

12 syngo.via2: New Clinical Opportuni-ties with Brand new CT Software Applications

15 Significant Dose Reduction with SAFIRE3 at Wexford General Hospital, Ireland

16 Boosting Cardiovascular Reading with syngo.via at this Year’s CTA Academy

17 Stroke Management – Education and Information Exchange Online

18 International CT Image Contest 2011

20 Iterative Reconstruction is Now Available for SOMATOM Emotion and Sensation

22 FAST CARE Meets DSCT 23 High-End CT is on the Move24 CT Examinations Tailored Precisely

to Individual Patient Needs

6 When it comes to diagnosing critical injuries like in acute care or cardiology settings, radiologists need fast, high-quality CT images at a low dose. Siemens listened to radiologists’ needs and developed a revolutionary new detector generation: the Stellar Detector.1 Two renowned imaging experts, the radilogist Savvas Nicolaou, MD and the cardiologist Jörg Hausleiter, MD share their expectations and potential applications for the new detector technology.

26 Value Added Max

18International CT Image Contest 2011

Business

26 Value Added Max 30 Accelerated Cardiovascular Assess-

ment Powered by syngo.via 31 Minimizing Scan Time Loss with

TubeGuard 32 Versatility at High Speed

Clinical Results

Cardio-Vascular 34 SOMATOM Definition Flash: Ruling

out Coronary Artery Disease and Diagnosing Coronary Arteritis with 1.3 mSv

36 Fast and Precise Imaging of Aortic Intimal Flap Using High Pitch Flash Scan Protocol without ECG-Trigger-ing or -Gating

38 Flash Scanning of Coronary CTA with just 0.3 mSv

40 Flash Scanning for Pediatric Aortic Abnormalities without Sedation at 0.6 mSv

Oncology 42 Examination of a Patient with Lung

Cancer with SOMATOM Definition AS Open to Evaluate Treatment and Calculate Dose

Content



Science

60 The First Single Source Dual Energy Scan Mode with Optimized Dose

62 iTRIM – a New Method for Improving Temporal Resolution in Cardiac Computed Tomography

64 Stellar Detector Performance in Computed Tomography

67 Pediatric Imaging in the Spotlight 68 From Mannheim to Shanghai: a

Viable Model for Future Interna-tional Research Collaborations

Customer Excellence 70 An Aura of Success: The 10th

SOMATOM World Summit

44 Low Dose Pediatric Flash CT Scan-ning with IRIS4 – A Follow-up Study after Neuroblastoma Relapse

46 Dose Reduction Combining CARE Dose4D, CARE kV and SAFIRE Techniques

48 Lung Ventilation Imaging with Dual Energy Xenon CT in Single Breath Technique

Neurology 50 SOMATOM Definition AS 40: VPCT

Pre- and Post-Recanalization of the Internal Carotid Artery

52 Dual Energy CT Myelography Used to Detect Spontaneous Spinal Cerebro-spinal Fluid Leaks

Acute Care 54 SOMATOM Definition Flash: Low

Dose Chest Follow-up Scanning with IRIS

56 SOMATOM Definition Flash: Metal Artifact Reduction with Mono Energetic Dual Energy Imaging in a Critical Trauma Case

58 Flash CT Pulmonary Angiography in a Freely Breathing Patient

72 Garmisch CT Symposium 2012 – The Congress

72 Hands-on Tutorials at ESC 201173 FAST CARE Boosted with Expert

Advice73 Keep Track of Developments with

Clinical Webinars 74 New Software for the SOMATOM

Emotion 16 75 The 3rd Definition Symposium held

by Siemens Japan in Tokyo 76 Frequently Asked Question 76 Upcoming Events & Congresses 77 Clinical Workshops 2012

78 Subscription 79 Imprint

58 Flash CT Pulmonary Angiography in a Freely Breathing Patient

70 An Aura of Sucsess: The 10th SOMATOM World Summit

64 Stellar Detector Performance in Computed Tomography

Content

1 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.2 syngo.via can be used as a stand-alone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options,

which are medical devices in their own rights.3 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k)

review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S. In clinical practice, the use of SAFIRE may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task.

4 In clinical practice, the use of IRIS may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, ana-tomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to deter-mine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task.



Cover Story

With the unique combination of high spatial resolution at uncompromised temporal resolution, the SOMATOM Definition Edge1 gives radiologists the perfect balance of clear diagnostic images with less patient radiation. Courtesy of German Heart Center, Departments of Cardiology and Radiology, Munich, Germany

1

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Cover Story


Surrounded by cold deep ocean waters famous for whale spotting, Vancouver, British Columbia, located on Canada’s western coast, is a cosmopolitan haven for adventure seekers and foodies alike. The city’s sleek skyscrapers compete with the jagged mountain peaks beyond, creating an interesting juxtaposition of nature and urban culture. Situated in the heart of this vibrant metropolis is Vancouver General Hospital. Home to one of the largest research institutes in Canada, Vancouver General is a teaching hospital as well as a busy level 1 trauma center, where seconds can often mean the difference between life and death.At Vancouver General, radiologists use CT images to provide information that is critical to making a proper diagnosis in an acute care setting. CT images are used for a variety of clinical scenarios in the emergency department, such as identifying blocks in the coronary arter-ies or rips in the bowel, or finding small, subtle fractures in the spine, that if undis-covered, could result in patient paralysis. “In a trauma setting, you want to obtain the best image quality possible, because we often have to make decisions very quickly about catastrophic injuries,” says Savvas Nicolaou, MD, Director of Emer-gency/Trauma imaging at Vancouver General Hospital.

A diagnostic necessityAccording to Nicolaou, there has been an explosion in the utilization of CT imaging in the acute care setting, and CT use has increased eight-fold in recent years. Trauma physicians work together with radiologists “to make the right diagnoses and clinical decisions to pro-vide the best and safest care to our

patients,” explains Nicolaou. At the German Heart Center in Munich, Jörg Hausleiter, MD, also relies on CT images to provide critical information about patients who present with chest pain or have a history of coronary heart disease. The recent 2011 WHO report states that cardio vascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death

A Critical “Edge” When Seconds CountWhen it comes to diagnosing critical injuries like in acute care or cardiology settings, radiologists need fast, high-quality CT images at a low dose. Siemens listened to radiologists’ needs and developed a revolutionary new detector generation: the Stellar Detector1. Two renowned imaging experts, the radiolo-gist Savvas Nicolaou, MD and the cardiologist Jörg Hausleiter, MD share their expectations and potential applications for the new detector technology.

By Amy K. Erickson

“Modern CT tech-nology allows me to differentiate between patients who need to be treated with coro-nary stent place-ment and those patients who don’t need it.”

1 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.

Jörg Hausleiter, MD, German Heart Center, Munich, Germany



and disability in the world. A large pro-portion of CVDs is preventable but obe-sity and diabetes mellitus with athero-sclerosis - that are often linked to CVD - makes CT imaging a challenge in that population. CT imaging “allows me to differentiate between patients who need to be treated with coronary stent placement and those patients who don’t need it,” says Hausleiter. Advances in CT imaging provide radiolo-gists with more opportunities than ever before to image unstable trauma patients. “We have the ability to put people who are actively bleeding, whose

blood pressures are greatly decreased, who are in a critical situation, into the CT scanner and use the high-speed acquisition technology to quickly tell the trauma surgeon whether a patient has a large hematoma that is crushing the brain that needs to be evacuated urgently or if they have a tear in the thoracic aorta that is actively bleeding in their chest,” says Nicolaou.However, one of the biggest hot button issues in radiology today is the desire to minimize the radiation dose. Even in the acute setting where high quality images undoubtedly save lives, dose

reduction is at the forefront of patient care. “For example, if you have a 23-year-old woman with chest pain, you need to do a CT scan to exclude aortic dissection, a pulmonary embolism, or a coronary artery stenosis (i.e. the Triple-Rule-Out Exam),” explains Nicolaou. “However, we want to minimize the radiation dose to that young woman because the breasts, thyroid, and other organs are very sensitive to the effects of radiation.” He acknowledges that there is a lot of pressure to do low-dose imaging from within the radiology com-munity and from physicians and patients as well. “The challenge is to do it with-out compromising image integrity, so we can provide the appropriate diagno-ses for our patients,” says Nicolaou.

Quick response in the “golden hour”For patients in Vancouver, Munich and everywhere in between, trauma is the the leading cause of death under the age of 45. With fast and precise imaging radiologists can offer a therapeuticadvantage to patients by providingan accurate diagnosis within the critical“golden hour,” the time period after aninsult during which there is the highest likelihood that medical treatment will prevent death. “For instance in acute stroke, the findings on the CT are very subtle and hard to detect in the early stages,” says Nicolaou. “High-speed acquisition is critical in stroke imaging so we can very quickly tell our neurology colleagues to administer the drugs to dissolve the clots.”CT can also be used to look at ischemia of the bowel and to look for acute blood in the abdomen. “We also need to iden-tify traumatic tears of the bowel within minutes so that the surgeons can make the appropriate interventions,” explains Nicolaou. CT also comes into play when looking at subtle fractures in the cervical spine. In addition, CT can be used in an acute setting to characterize the compo-sition of kidney stones, which can deter-mine the course treatment, such as hav-ing the stones broken down by an ultrasound machine, or dissolved with medical therapy” Nicolaou remarks. Dual

“In a trauma setting, you want to obtain the best image quality possible, because we often have to make decisions very quickly about catastrophic in juries.”

Savvas Nicolaou, MD, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada

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Cover Story

Energy information can add the respec-tive tissue information to the morphol-ogy to support this decision.

Chest imaging and beyondOne of the most common and critically important issues of CT images in an acute setting is for chest injuries and cardiac emergencies. At the German Heart Center, Hausleiter relies on CT images to identify any narrowing or ath-erosclerotic plaques in a patient’s coro-nary arteries. “The normal coronary artery is only 3 millimeters in diameter, so we are talking about very, very tiny structures,” says Hausleiter. “We often want to assess the coronary arteries to see if there is any narrowing or stenosis and to detect atherosclerotic plaques.” Once the coronary arteries are imaged, cardiologists like Hausleiter can deter-mine whether a patient needs to be rushed to the cath lab to have a stent

inserted or if the patient can be medi-cally managed and safely discharged. Other causes of chest pain can include a thrombotic clot within a coronary artery, a pulmonary embolism, or pneumonia in the lung.Whether it is imaging a motorcycle acci-dent victim or an individual with chest pain, radiologists and cardiologists need CT technology that maintains image quality while minimizing the dose. “As a radiologist, you can’t forget that ulti-mately you need to make a diagnosis based on the images,” says Nicolaou. “I need detector technology that is highly efficient, while providing excel-lent clinical images. I also need to obtain diagnostic images at a low radiation dose. It is incumbent upon us as radiolo-gists to minimize the dose, since we are using CT at such a rapid pace to optimize patient care.”From a cardiology standpoint, Hausleiter

points out that over time, stents can re-narrow and the stenosis can come back. “In this case, we need to assess the inside of the stent, and this requires a high spa-tial resolution,” he says. “The higher the spatial resolution, the higher our capa-bility to detect these changes.”Radiologists also need to benefit from a detector that provides an extremely high dynamic range of data preventing potential artifacts in the image. “Cur-rently it is very difficult to be able to identify and utilize information at very low contrast levels,” says Nicolaou. He notes that in a trauma setting, patients often come in with numerous tubes and access lines. “A lot of artifacts can occur when you image patients with these extra tubes, which can preclude you from obtaining good diagnostic images,” says Nicolaou. “However, if we have a detector that can take care of the noise and get rid of the artifacts, then we can

Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) is a leading institution in trauma imaging.



Cover Story

challenge. “We need a CT technology that gives us the possibility to safely detect in-stent restenosis of stents smaller than 3 mm in diameter or to differentiate the three plaque-components more pre-cisely,” explains Hausleiter. “The new detector system offers improved spatial resolution.” In addition, the new gantry on the SOMATOM Definition Edge allows a rotation speed of 0.28 seconds like the SOMATOM Definition Flash. This reduces motion significantly and offers cardiolo-gists like Hausleiter a solution for pre-cisely imaging a beating heart.The new detector generation is also per-fectly suited for the acute care setting. One of the many clinical advantages offered by the SOMATOM Definition Flash and SOMATOM Definition Edge is SAFIRE3 (Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruc-tion). SAFIRE is a method of raw data-based iterative reconstruction that reduces noise so precisely, that dose can be reduced by up to 60%, without com-promising the image quality. “When you decrease the dose or improve the resolu-tion,” explains Nicolaou, “it inherently leads to an increase in noise. With itera-tive reconstruction, we can potentially reduce the dose while having the advan-tage of improved image quality. This is critical when it comes to imaging vital structures in the body.” The minimized noise level of the Stellar Detector and the technology of SAFIRE are the perfect match for ultra-low dose high resolution imaging, eliminating the contradiction of outstanding image quality with minimal dose.The Stellar Detector may be ideal for bariatric imaging, where obese patients may attenuate a large portion of the signal, often resulting in a signal that is too low for diagnosis. By eliminating electronic noise, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be increased, giving it much more flexibility to handle low signals. The system’s TrueSignal Technology significantly minimizes electronic noise in the detector and the resulting SNR at low signal levels is increased, so that even very low signals are sufficiently strong for the detector to pick up. Low-signal images benefit from increased clarity, because the detector can now

Doctors can’t forget that ultimately he or she need to make a diagnosis based on images. Of course CT technology with high-speed, high-quality, low-dose CT images is preferred.

obtain better diagnostic images.”In the emergency department, patients come in all shapes and sizes. It is often more difficult to obtain good images for our bariatric patients. The larger a patient is, the higher the dose of radia-tion that is needed in order to character-ize the tissue to obtain high-quality diagnostic images. “Noise is a problem in every patient,” says Hausleiter, “but we often have a problem with noise in obese patients compared to slim patients.”

The “Edge” is hereTo comply with these needs of leading radiologists and cardiologists like Nico-laou and Hausleiter, Siemens is launching a revolutionary new detector generation: The Stellar Detector1. Introduced for the SOMATOM® Definition Flash Dual Source systems, Siemens launches it also with the new SOMATOM Definition Edge1. Based on the technology of the SOMATOM Definition Flash2 with the Stel-lar Detector this Single Source CT system. Debuting at the 2011 RSNA annual meet-ing in Chicago, the new Stellar Detector and the innovative Edge Technology1, is designed to generate ultra-thin slices to

deliver the highest spatial resolution in CT. In the past, thinner slices delivered more image detail, but also higher image noise. With the Stellar Detector for the SOMATOM Definition Flash and the SOMATOM Definition Edge, electronic noise and cross-talk are minimized.Hausleiter believes that the new system will offer cardiologists a significant advantage in the field of cardiology. When imaging the heart, high spatial res-olution only makes sense when it is com-bined with high temporal resolution. Hausleiter points out that a primary chal-lenge in imaging the heart is that the muscle is constantly beating and moving, which means the coronary arteries are also constantly moving. “CT images need to be obtained at a high temporal resolu-tion to make coronary arteries sharp,” says Hausleiter, “and the sharper they are, the better ability we have to detect the coronary stenosis and atherosclerotic changes in plaque formations.”With the unique combination of high spa-tial resolution from the Stellar Detector with uncompromised temporal resolu-tion, both the SOMATOM Definition Edge and SOMATOM Definition Flash offer the most advanced solution for this clinical



Cover Story

differentiate the diagnostic information of an individual voxel much better com-pared to the surrounding image data. Especially bariatric patients are often at a higher risk for heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, and these con-ditions must be evaluated safely, even in these challenging patients.“I expect that this technology will help us with noise reduction, especially in obese patients,” says Hausleiter.Additionally, Dual Energy becomes avail-able for Single Source CT imaging with the SOMATOM Definition Edge. With the novel capabilities of the Stellar Detector and the dose-optimized, Single Source Dual Energy scan mode, the Definition Edge enables doctors to add tissue char-acteristics to morphology, allowing for the specification of formerly unspecific information for a higher diagnostic out-come.

Inspiring confi denceRadiologists and cardiologists across the world have spoken, and Siemens has answered with the Stellar Detector in the SOMATOM Definition Flash and in the new SOMATOM Definition Edge. The new detector generation provides the

solutions that radiologists in acute care, cardiology and other fields have been looking for, with improved spatial resolu-tion, reduced noise in obese patients, improved soft tissue characterization, and improved image quality in low signal examinations. When these features are added together, the new detector may allow radiologists and cardiologists to be more secure in their diagnoses. “I expect that it will give me more confidence in my diagnoses and when deciding if a patient has advanced disease or minimal disease,” says Hausleiter.With the development of the Stellar Detector, Siemens has once again looked into the future and brought cutting-edge technology to the present. “The future of radiology is heading toward optimizing low-dose imaging while main-taining or even improving diagnostic image quality,” says Nicolaou. “This technology will allow us to do both: providing excellent diagnostic images at extremely low-dose radiation with SAFIRE’s iterative reconstruction and the new Stellar Detector.”

With fast image acquisition, good diagnostic image quality, and high spatial resolution, the SOMATOM Definition Edge enables radiologists to provide an accurate diagnosis, especially within the critical “golden hour”.

Amy K. Erickson is a widely published medical journalist with more than a decade of experi-ence in the health and biotech industries. Based in the San Francisco bay area, Amy’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Nature Medicine, Cure magazine, the Washing-ton Post and CNN.com.

1 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.2 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S.3 The information about this product is being provided

for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.In clinical practice, the use of SAFIRE may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task.The following test method was used to determine a 60% dose reduction when using the SAFIRE recon-struction software. Noise, CT numbers, homogenity, low-contrast resolution and high contrast resolution were assessed in a Gammex 438 phantom. Low dose data reconstructed with SAFIRE showed the same image quality compared to full dose data based on this test. Data on file.

www.siemens.com/SOMATOM-Definition-Edge


News

With the launch of a new syngo.via1 ver-sion at the RSNA 2011, Siemens is open-ing a new era for routine diagnostics in CT imaging. With four additional CT workflows, six freshened-up Dual Energy applications, and many other additional helpful features and applications, even for other imaging modalities, it is designed to further diagnostic speed and accuracy.

Dual Energy – Going beyond visualizationThe SOMATOM® Definition Flash has brought Dual Energy examination into routine clinical practice and has shown the diagnostic benefits of going beyond visualization.With the new version the basic function-ality of syngo.via has been enriched with well-established features such as Opti-mum Contrast for automatically calculat-ing contrast-optimized images and a new


syngo.via: New Clinical Opportunities with Brand new CT Software Applications1

By Susanne Hölzer, Philip Stenner, PhD, Jochen Dormeier, MD, Karin BarthelComputed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Dual Energy applications now available on syngo.via:

■ syngo.CT DE Lung Analysis ■ syngo.CT DE Heart PBV■ syngo.CT DE Calculi

Characterization■ syngo.CT DE Brain Hemorrhage■ syngo.CT DE Virtual Unenhanced■ syngo.CT DE Direct Angio

ous assessment of both pulmonary func-tion and of the lung vessels. After the evaluation all diagnostic information is being displayed in one view, allowing pulmonary embolism to be ruled out.

Cardiovascular CT – accuracy for TAVI planning and boosted sensitivity in triple rule-out examinationsAortic stenosis is one of the most com-mon forms of cardiovascular valve disor-der. It is conventionally treated by replac-ing the aortic valve with an artifi cial valve through invasive open chest sur-gery. However, patients affected usually suffer from several co-morbidities and are therefore denied surgery. Since a couple of years, these patients may undergo a minimally invasive replace-ment of the aortic valve, known as trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Crucial for a successful TAVI procedure

1 syngo.CT DE Lung Analysis in syngo.via 2 Curved planar reformations of the aorta and iliac arteries facilitate the assessment of the vessel diameters for pre-procedural TAVI planning.

21

functionality for generating monoener-getic images at a range of 40-190 keV to optimize the image quality. Furthermore the assessment of kidney stones is facili-tated with the new syngo.CT DE Calculi Characterization. The Siemens’ unique “Kidney Stone Navigator” makes it easy to navigate through findings without scroll-ing through the whole volume. Another new application – syngo.CT DE Lung Analysis – utilizes Siemens’ unique Dual Source Dual Energy data for simultane-


News

References[1] T. Pflederer, S. Achenbach, Journal of Cardiovascular

Computed Tomography (2010) 4, 355–364 [2] Blackmon et al., European Radiology, January 2011.

3 The automated detection of pulmonary filling defects in syngo.CT

PE CAD3 allows for a safer evaluation of triple rule-out cases.[2]

4 For an evaluation of local vessel or tissue enhancement, syngo.CT Dynamic Angio2 displays ROI-specific time attenuation curves, as well as curve and statis-tical parameters, such as time to peak and peak enhancement.

is accurate pre-procedural planning, where the access path for the catheter is assessed and the optimum device type and size are determined. From now on, the post-processing pow-ers of syngo.CT Vascular Analysis and syngo.CT Cardiac Function will be com-bined to form a dedicated workfl ow for streamlined CT TAVI planning. In the fi rst step of this workfl ow, the smallest possibly detected diameter of the iliac arteries is localized with a single click in syngo.CT Vascular Analysis. Quantifi cation is easily performed with the Stenosis Measurement Tool. The cardiologist can now determine the optimum access route for the catheter. Calcifi cation removal helps radiologists to visualize calcifi cations in the entire aorta.An accurate assessment of the aortic annulus is crucial for selecting the cor-rect implant. syngo.CT Cardiac Function displays the aortic valve plane with a single click, allowing the short and long axes of the aortic annulus to be mea-sured more quickly. The length of the device is determined by the distances of the coronary ostia, which are obtained in a matter of seconds. Finally, the angula-tion for the C-arm guided intervention is calculated and can be transferred to the cath lab. Predicting the optimal angula-tion with CT has been proven to help reducing the amount of contrast agent

4

“syngo.via combines all evaluation tools in one single workfl ow. This is a real advantage because we need less time to evaluate all anatomic structures relevant for the TAVI procedure.”Tobias Pfl ederer, MD, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

3

applied in the cath lab by 48%.[1] This streamlined workfl ow leads to sounder decisions in TAVI planning. Patients exhibiting chest pain in the emergency department often undergo a triple rule-out examination to distinguish between coronary artery disease, aortic dissections, or pulmonary embolisms. The new syngo.via version introduces the new application syngo.CT PE CAD3 which automatically detects pulmonary fi lling defects and which may be particu-larly helpful if no Dual Source Dual Energy data is available. Combined with the CT Coronary and CT Vascular tasks, the workfl ow CT Chest Pain + PE CAD3 boosts sensitivity[2] in challenging triple rule-out cases. Improved automated pre-processing in syngo.CT Coronary Analysis is benefi cial for such cases. In addition to the main coronaries, major coronary branches and saphenous vein grafts are now also automatically segmented and labeled.

Dynamic Vessel Evaluation redefi ned

A great step forward in terms of dynamic vessel evaluation has been made by introducing the new application syngo.CT Dynamic Angio.2 For stroke patients or patients showing transient ischemic attack symptoms, syngo.CT Dynamic Angio2 helps to inspect time-resolved CT images reconstructed from dynamic studies. It provides a temporal maximum intensity projection (tMIP) and a tempo-ral average volume (tAVG) for enhanced vessel and soft tissue visualization. For evaluating local vessel or tissue enhance-ment, syngo.CT Dynamic Angio displays ROI-specifi c time attenuation curves, as well as curve and statistical parameters, such as time to peak and peak enhance-ment. For a phase-specifi c evaluation, for example of the arterial or venous phase, the Twin Slider can restrict calcu-lation of new CT volumes to any user-defi ned time range within the dynamic

1 syngo.via can be used as a stand-alone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options, which are medical devices

2 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S.

3 The product is not commercially available in the U.S.


scan. This means that the application may also be used for examining the liver, or abdominal aortic stent patency and endovascular leakage.

Oncology – fully featured and even more applicationsThe new syngo.via version enhances the CT Oncology Engine and CT Oncology Engine Pro packages, as well as adding promising new applications for diagnosis and therapy. Radiologists can now select whether the time-saving automated segmentation algorithms for lung and liver lesions and lymph nodes utilize RECIST 1.0 or 1.1, thanks to added func-tionality for current oncological stan-dards. Choi criteria are also evaluated and displayed in the report for each lesion. This additional clinical informa-tion helps the radiologist to differentiate between progressive disease (PD), stable disease (SD), complete response (CR) and partial response (PR). To facilitate diagnosis of cases with mul-tiple prior examinations, syngo.PET&CT Onco Multi-Timepoint supports simulta-neous visualization of up to eight time-points and synchronous scrolling through all datasets. Especially in cases with many prior examinations and multi-modality acquisitions such as PET/CT, radiologists will benefi t from keeping track of the complete patient history visually, and the ability to compare these data with the current examination.Even more automation is provided through the improvements in our sec-ond reader tools syngo.CT Colonography PEV and syngo.CT Lung CAD – both part of the CT Oncology Engine Pro. These tools now provide automated detection of lung nodules or colon polyps with revised algorithms.3

In addition, syngo.CT Lung CAD now not only detects solitary pulmonary nodules but also partial-solid nodules3 and ground-glass nodules (GGN).3 Lung CAD fi ndings are sorted by size in syngo.via’s fi ndings navigator.3

The syngo.CT Colonography Advanced package features the new Stool Removal function, allowing the radiologist to remove residual stool from the visualiza-tion in the 3D endoluminal view and multi-planar reconstruction (MPR). By toggling quickly between Stool Removal and the standard display, physicians can

5 syngo.CT Coronary Analysis now provides zero-click tracking and labeling of the main coronaries (RCA, LM, CX), major coronary branches, and saphenous vein grafts.

6 The CT Oncology Engine now supports RECIST 1.1 and Choi criteria which add valuable clini-cal information for correct diagnosis by the radiologist.

7 syngo.CT Pulmo 3D is the new syngo.via application for assessment and therapy monitoring of COPD. Users can define default visual-ization options, such as the emphysema index display, according to their preferred workflow.

5

6

7


News

www.siemens.com/syngo.via

Wexford General Hospital serves a popu-lation in excess of 135,000 in County Wexford, Ireland. Recently replaced their 10-year-old 4-slice system was replaced with the SOMATOM Defi nition AS 64 with the FAST CARE platform. The CT team in Wexford has always been dose conscious and the dose reduction techniques available with the new system (especially SAFIRE1,2) have greatly assisted them in achieving sub-stantial reduction in dose. SAFIRE (Sino-gram Affi rmed Iterative Reconstruction) is the 1st raw data-based iterative recon-struction technique that allows up to 60% reduction in dose while preserving image quality as can be seen in the com-parison shown in Fig. 1. Liz D’Arcy, CT Clinical Specialist, com-mented: “From day one, the CT team at Wexford decided to test the capabilities of SAFIRE in terms of image quality, workfl ow, and dose reduction. Our immediate fi nding was that the fast reconstruction speed and the ease of use meant no effect on throughput or work-fl ow when compared to FBP. Our next step was to select an image quality acceptable to our consultant radiologists while continuing to reduce the dose.”Neurological head scans are often regarded as a benchmark for diagnostic value in CT. The consultant radiologists have been very pleased with both the

Signifi cant Dose Reduction with SAFIRE at Wexford General Hospital, IrelandBy Tony de Lisa and Tiago Campos*

*Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim Germany

detect potential polyps which might be hidden in residual stool cavities.Two new applications are optional to the CT Oncology Engine. Using the syngo.RT Interface, physicians can register CT or multi-modality datasets such as PET/CT with a radiotherapy planning CT. Segmented lesions, e.g. PET hotspots, can be copied from the diagnostic datas-ets to the planning CT and be exported as DICOM RT1 structure sets. This allows

“We have seen a very impressive reduction in dose. With SAFIRE we are achieving a very impressive dose reduction of up to 75% dose reduction in head scans (14.74 mGy vs 60 mGy) with excellent image quality.” Richard Deignan, MD, Consultant Radiologist

1A Standard WFBP. Standard weighted filtered back projection reconstruction using an H40 kernel.

1B This image visualizes image quality based on SAFIRE achieved with only 14.74 mGy. Significantly decreased image noise without loss of resolution or gray-white matter differenti-ation can be seen.

1A 1B

levels of dose and the image quality. Wexford has extended SAFIRE to all examinations and is achieving similar levels of dose reduction across the clinical spectrum. Liz D’Arcy: “The level of dose reduction is much more signi-ficant than we felt possible. The key

accurate functional diagnostic imaging and morphological image processing to be used during radiotherapy planning.syngo.CT Pulmo 3D focuses on clinical assessment and monitoring treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Based on the user’s preference, the application provides different auto-mated 3D quantifi cations for assessment of emphysema and lung airways utiliz-ing non-enhanced CT chest scans. Using

spatial details, healthcare professionals can differentiate between emphysema-dominant and airway-dominant COPD subtypes, which can be used for plan-ning further treatment, such as lung volume reduction surgery. Overall, the new syngo.via version further supports fast and precise oncological reading and reporting with exciting new features.

point is that we can, and do, use SAFIRE in our normal daily clinical routine, not just for special cases. Therefore the total CT dose to our patient population has fallen substantially.”

1 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.2 In clinical practice, the use of SAFIRE may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A consultation-

with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular clinical task. The following test method was used to determine a 60% dose reduction when using the SAFIRE reconstruction software. Noise, CT numbers, homogenity, low-contrast resolution and high contrast resolution were assessed in a Gammex 438 phantom. Low dose data reconstructed with SAFIRE showed the same image quality compared to full dose data based on this test. Data on file.

Tony de Lisa is an external writer based in Nuremberg, Germany.

15


News

Boosting Cardiovascular Reading with syngo.via at this Year’s CTA Academy At SCCT 2011, syngo.via facilitated the evalua-tion of cCTA and invasive angiography data sets.

Philip Stenner, PhD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Based on last year’s huge success, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) has again organized a CTA Academy to train cardiovascular reading in 2011. The program is aimed at both radiologists and cardiologists, and provides a unique opportunity to practice the evaluation of coronary CT Angiography (cCTA) data sets with an international expert faculty. This year’s Academy comprises five courses, of which the most recent was held at the annual meeting of the SCCT in Denver, CO, USA. Stephan Achenbach, MD, from the Department of Cardiology at the Uni-versity of Gießen, Germany, and John Lesser, MD, from the Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minneapolis, MN, USA, teamed up to teach this two-day course and offered expert hands-on training for the 20 cardiologists taking part. To assess the cCTAs and invasive angiog-raphy images, 11 workplaces had been equipped with syngo.via clients pro-vided. In addition to the basic reading functionalities, the CT Cardio-Vascular Engine enabled the participants to eval-uate the cases with advanced function-alities such as automatically generated center lines, curved planar reformations (CPR), and the image sharpening filter. To make full use of syngo.via’s dual monitor support, all workplaces were equipped with two monitors and the pre-senter’s screen was shown with a dual-projector set-up. The participants improved their cardiovascular reading skills by evaluating 50 cCTA data sets,

“I have to say that the advanced functions, such as the curved planar reconstructions, are extremely stable and the results are really good and reliable.”

Stephan Achenbach, MD, Department of Cardiology, University of Gießen, Germany

During the SCCT CTA Academy Stephan Achenbach, MD, Gießen, Germany and John Lesser, MD, Minneapolis, USA offered expert hands-on training to interested physicians.

and verified their diagnoses with the cor-responding invasive angiography images for each case. “The main goal is really to learn how to interpret cardiac CT extremely carefully, look for the difficult findings, and cope even with difficult situations such as severe calcifications” says Achenbach. According to him, the biggest challenge of this course was the mixed level of experience, as both beginners and expe-rienced readers worked on the cases. What Achenbach likes about syngo.via is the ease of use which allowed the beginners to quickly catch on and imme-diately get started with cardiovascular reading. He further states with regard to syngo.via: “I have to say that the advanced functions, such as the curved



Stroke Management – Education and Information Exchange OnlineBy Monika Demuth, PhD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany


News

www.siemens.com/ct-cardiology

planar reconstructions, are extremely stable now and the results are really good and reliable.” Quynh Truong, MD MPH, from the Division of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, USA, who also helped the participants with reading the cases, believes this course to be a good opportunity to gain experi-ence. Since the volume of CT scans being performed is fairly low at some participants’ institutions, it is important to practice on CT and cath correlations in order to maintain the required compe-tency level.One of the participants, Cristiana Scridon, MD, from the Indian River Medical Cen-ter in Vero Beach, Fl, USA, already

Siemens Healthcare has recently launched a new CT stroke management online resource for healthcare professionals. Here, a platform is provided for introduc-ing and discussing new diagnostic oppor-tunities to save brain and quality of life, synergized with information on the lat-est Siemens CT scanners and post-pro-cessing solutions. After a stroke, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging[1] each hour it remains untreated. Therefore, the need for faster diagnosis and faster treatment is central to effective stroke management. Thanks to a dynamic brain perfusion coverage, Siemens Computed Tomography has clearly improved the stroke workflow and added value to stroke management. The new information platform for stroke management has been published to share these approaches and clinical outcomes. Peter Schramm, MD, from the certified stroke unit at the University of Göttingen, Germany, for example, shares his work-flow from the arrival of a stroke patient

attended a previous CTA Academy. Her main goal was to learn from the experts and refresh her skills in cardiovascular reading. With regard to syngo.via, she states that “Practically everything works very well and it’s very smooth. The mea-surements go easily, and the adjustment

of the image is easy to make. So it’s great.” Will she be coming again? – “Absolutely every year!”

“I am typically not a big advocate of curved planar reformations (CPR), but this work-station actually does a really good job of outlining the CPRs.”

Quynh Truong, MD MPH, Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Siemens has launched a CT stroke management website for healthcare professionals.

References[1] Time is brain-quantified. Saver JL. Stroke.

2006 Jan;37(1):263-6.

in the emergency department until the decision for further treatment. In his institution, the door-to-needle time is less than 20 minutes. Furthermore, lead-ing stroke specialists share their experi-ence and protocols in webinars and pre-sentations on the platform. Trial versions for Siemens latest software solutions are available for testing developments in stroke imaging in actual clinical practice. This educational website was launched to improve the knowledge of stroke

diagnosis with extended brain coverage and is designed to integrate the experi-ences of physicians worldwide. The online resource can be visited via the following link.

www.siemens.com/CT-stroke- management


News


International CT Image Contest 2011 By Tiago Campos, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

In 2009, Siemens Healthcare surprised the healthcare industry with an original idea that was well received by the world-wide radiology community, the Interna-tional CT Image Contest, encouraging radiologists to reduce dose by using CT hardware and software efficiently. Participants submitted their best clinical images achieved at a very low radiation dose according to the contest philoso-phy “Highest diagnostic image quality at the lowest possible radiation dose” and shared best practice throughout the industry. The 2010 International CT Image Con-test was an extraordinary success, with around 300 submissions from over 30 different countries. On Facebook, the contest attracted over 1,500 fans and page views at the Siemens Low Dose

website reached 17,000 between November 2009 and May 2010 alone.

Continuing the successThis year’s contest even beat last year’s success with massive 627 submissions from 43 different countries from all 5 continents, showing that low dose practices have no borders. Siemens customers who work with a SOMATOM Spirit, Emotion, Sensation, Definition, Definition AS or Definition Flash were given the opportunity to compete for the title of the best image in seven cate-gories. The submissions were evaluated by an international jury consisting of acknowledged experts in the following categories: Cardiac, Vascular, Dual Energy, Pediatrics, Trauma, Neuro and areas of clinical routine including Thorax,

Abdomen Pelvis and Extremities. During the entry phase, members of the jury chose an image each month for the “Pick of the Month” (Figs. 1–3) which ran from March through September. After entry deadline, a winning image of the highest quality at the lowest radiation dose was chosen from each category. The winners were announced in a cere-mony at this year’s RSNA in Chicago.1

To see all of more than the 600 cases from 40 different countries featured in this year’s Image Contest, or to become a fan on Facebook, visit the following websites.

www.siemens.com/image-contestwww.facebook.com/imagecontest

1 Picture of the Month March

Title: Dual Energy Carotid Angio ParagangliomaAuthor: Joao Carlos Costa, MD, Diagnóstico por Imagem, LdaSystem: SOMATOM Definition Flash

Jury statement:“This is a beautiful case example for the use of Dual Energy CT techniques for non-invasive imaging of vessel-related tumors and surgical planning. The low radiation protocol selected and success-fully applied here is of particular importance in the investigation of young, otherwise healthy individuals, as in this case.”

Prof. Uwe Joseph Schoepf, MDMedical University of South Carolina, USA

1

1 The winners were not yet known at editorial deadline.



News

2 Picture of the Month April

Title: SA Compression StenosisAuthor: Volodymyr Mytchenok, MD, Poltava Regional Hospital, UkraineSystem: SOMATOM Emotion

Jury statement:“Nice demonstration of functional lesion at a low dose, very illustrative post pro-cessing.”

Prof. Stephan Achenbach, MD University of Giessen, Germany

2

3 Picture of the Month June

Title: Aorta Bypass GraftAuthor: Eder Quadros, MD, Hospital Beneficencia Portuguesa, Sao Paulo, BrazilSystem: SOMATOM Definition AS

Jury statement:“Very nice dataset of axillo-bifemoral bypass graft, achieved at a very reason-able dose. Very elegant and tasteful choice of rendering parameters results in visually appealing images!”

Prof. Dominik Fleischmann, MD Stanford University Medical Center, USA

3


News


Iterative Reconstruction is Now Available for SOMATOM Emotion and SensationBy Tiago Campos*, Sebastian Vogt, PhD**

*Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Germany**Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Malvern PA, USA

Siemens has recently added IRIS (Itera-tive Reconstruction in Image Space) to its new SOMATOM Emotion 16 scanners, as well as existing SOMATOM Emotion 16 (2007), SOMATOM Sensation 40, 64, and Open systems. Retrofitting this key technology into such a vast installed base emphasizes Siemens’ commitment to reducing patient dose by updating legacy systems for even better patient care. IRIS is available for these systems for delivery since September 2011. One of

the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the United States, the Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) was among the first sites world-wide to evaluate IRIS on the SOMATOM Emotion. Professor Richard D. White, MD, and his team of radiologists welcomed the opportunity of upgrading the OSUMC’s installed base of SOMATOM Emotion 16, SOMATOM Sensation 64, SOMATOM Definition AS 64, and SOMATOM Definition AS+ scanners with iterative reconstruction.

“This represented another important and greatly appreciated form of collabora-tion with Siemens through investigative interest, positive return-on-investment implications, and image quality gains, and clinical growth potential with market differentiating technologies for OSUMC”, remarks Professor White.Although IRIS was not directly installed at OSUMC during the pilot phase, the datasets were reconstructed remotely to assess the feasibility of IRIS compared with weighted filtered back projection

1A Standard WFBP reconstruction using an B41 kernel. Courtesy of Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

1B This figure demonstrates the high image quality achieved with IRIS. Image noise is decreased without losing sharpness.Courtesy of Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

1A 1B


News


References[1] May MS, Wüst W, Brand M, Stahl C, All-

mendinger T, Schmidt B, Uder M, Lell MM. Dose reduction in abdominal computed tomography: intraindividual comparison of image quality of full-dose standard and half-dose iterative recon-structions with dual-source computed tomogra-phy. Invest Radiol. 2011 Jul; 46(7):465-70

2A Standard WFBP reconstruction using a B40 kernel.Courtesy of Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

2B This figure demonstrates the high image quality achieved with IRIS. An improved image noise and better delineation of the liver lesion can be achieved compared to Fig. 2A. Courtesy of Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

2A 2B

(WFBP). Dozens of datasets were assessed from routine examinations of the head, thorax and abdomen. Experts then analyzed the image quality based on image noise, image quality, dose effectiveness, and lesion conspicuity. OSUMC’s team gave positive feedback in all areas of the evaluation, highlighting noise reduction, edge recovery, impres-sive detail and sharpness among the prominent benefits of IRIS. Professor White concluded that “across the board in this pilot project, there was unequivo-cal gain in image quality thanks to the application of IRIS. Artifact and noise were consistently reduced, while low contrast and edge definition were enhanced, leading to improved visual-ization of pathology. It is exciting to realize that this can be achieved with significant dose reduction. This is a tre-mendous advancement!” At the time of editorial deadline, OSUMC were already preparing for the installa-tion of IRIS.The Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany has also evaluated IRIS. The university cur-rently has a SOMATOM Definition Flash, a SOMATOM Definition AS+, and a

SOMATOM Sensation 64. Prof. Michael Lell, MD, was an early adopter of itera-tive reconstruction when it was initially released on the SOMATOM Definition Flash in 2009, and has also worked with the latest iterative reconstruction method – SAFIRE1 (Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction). Although Prof. Michael Lell, MD and his team were already familiar with IRIS, the pilot study pro-vided a good opportunity to assess its performance against the SOMATOM Definition systems.Following the same approach as OSUMC, datasets were reconstructed remotely and compared with conven-tional WFBP. Multiple patient datasets were reconstructed, focusing on spe-cific examinations, such as cardiac, and routine examinations of the head, thorax and abdomen. Once again, experts rated the images based on image noise, image quality, dose effec-tiveness, and lesion conspicuity.Lell and his team commented that “we highly appreciate that iterative recon-struction, which is fully integrated in our clinical workflow with the SOMATOM Definition scanners, is now available for existing CT systems like our SOMATOM

Sensation. The excellent results with IRIS significantly reduce dose while main-taining image quality and lesion conspi-cuity.”[1]

With the successful launch of IRIS for the SOMATOM Emotion 16 (2007), SOMATOM Sensation 40, 64, and Open, Siemens, continues its commitment to reducing radiation exposure for all rou-tine CT examinations below 2.4 mSv. “Bringing IRIS to the SOMATOM Emotion and Sensation offers low dose to the widest possible patient population,” says Peter Seitz, Head of Marketing, Com-puted Tomography, Siemens Healthcare.



News

FAST CARE Meets DSCTTechnology platform FAST CARE is now also compatible with the Dual Source scanner SOMATOM Defi nition, giving CT users the opportunity to leverage untapped potential in patient-centric productivity.

By Ingrid Horn, PhD

Over 5001 SOMATOM Definition scanners have been installed globally since 2006, and are located in both community and university hospitals. Besides its utiliza-tion in diagnostic imaging centers, the scanner is deployed primarily in cardiol-ogy departments and emergency cen-ters. A convincing technical concept is at the root of many modern success stories in the field. This one is called Dual Source. Simultaneous scanning with two X-ray tubes convinces in the case of car-diac CT, for example, providing high diagnostic accuracy irrespective of heart rate, without the use of beta blockers and with a radiation dose 50 percent lower than the norm. Combined with the Dual Energy principle, tissue and depos-its can be characterized chemically by selecting different voltages for the two X-ray tubes. The device proves particu-larly efficient in emergency cases, facili-tating a comprehensive, reliable diagno-sis in a single examination procedure,


irrespective of the patient’s constitution and condition.The benefits of Dual Source Technology can now be combined with those of the FAST CARE platform. The Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies (FAST) make time-consuming and complex procedures faster as well as far more intuitive. This ensures that the results remain reliably reproducible even in the event of a rota-tional workforce. FAST Planning simpli-fies the preparation of scan and recon ranges. Be it heart, lungs, spinal column or brain – one click suffices to automati-cally adjust the optimal scan range on the basis of anatomical landmarks. This not only eases the workflow at the scan-ner, but prevents inaccurate setting of scan ranges and higher reproducibility of similar examinations. FAST Cardio Wiz-ard gives users a step-by-step guide to cardiac scanning. The program provides guidance on the optimal choice of parameters and settings and allows

establishing individual quality standards. FAST Spine facilitates a fully automated preparation for reconstructions of the spinal column. The program identifies and marks each vertebra and disc within the scan range automatically, and alignes the reconstruction layers ana-tomically correct along the curvature of the spine. FAST Adjust guarantees safe scan parameter adjustment to the patient’s habitus, even by less experi-enced personnel.The CARE software package reduces radi-ation dose considerably. Several publica-tions have already scientifically proven that a potential reduction of up to 50 percent is possible. This is due principally to CARE kV. The program sets the appro-priate kV for the selected examination type and thus optimizes radiation dose in line with pertinent diagnostic issues and the patient’s anatomy. Other programs, including the CARE Dose Configurator, support this optimization process and make it transparent for users. Together with FAST CARE. SAFIRE2 was introduced, joining the latest generation of iterative image reconstruction. Departments equipped with the SOMATOM Definition can retrofit their device with FAST CARE. Everyone – the hospital enterprise, per-sonnel and patients – benefits from the advantages of this upgrade.

Ingrid Horn, PhD, studied biology and bio-chemistry. She is an expert in science communi-cations and an experienced medical writer.

The benefits of SOMATOM Definition's Dual Source Technology can now be combined with those of the FAST CARE platform.

1 Based on the number of systems sold. Data on file.2 The information about this product is being provided

for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S.



News

High-End CT is on the MoveWith the introduction of the SOMATOM Defi nition AS in 2007, Siemens began a unprecedented success story. Now, Siemens is moving onto the next chapter of this success story with new sliding gantry confi gurations for the SOMATOM Defi nition AS.

By Jan Freund, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Following its release in 2007, the SOMATOM Definition AS – the world’s first adaptive scanner – was already in a class of its own. As the first CT scanner offering true 128-slice acquisition, it pushed the boundaries of CT imaging, providing new diagnostic options, including high-speed and high-resolu-tion examinations, as well as 3D-guided CT interventions. In 2010, FAST CARE was introduced on

the SOMATOM Definition AS, making it the ideal choice to increase patient-centric productivity. Being fully onsite upgradeable from 20 up to 128 slices, customers could tailor the system per-fectly to their environment, and for example grow from routine to cardiac or acute care imaging.With over 1,500 systems installed, the SOMATOM Definition AS resembles the fastest ramp up in the history of

Siemens CT. Clearly, the philosophy of offering “one CT for all” has shown to be the right answer to CT users’ require-ments. In 2011, Siemens continues to evolve this success by adding a sliding gantry option to the SOMATOM Definition AS. Mounting a CT scanner on rails for moving it to a specific clinical area, such as acute care or between radiology and radiation therapy planning (RTP) depart-ments is not a new idea. But the previ-ous scanner generation considered midrange or even entry-level today. Now also the latest high-end CT scanner generation is back on rails. Customers have already benefited from the highest standards of flexibility with the SOMATOM Definition AS and the sliding gantry now allows the scanner to literally move in line with their clinical needs.The benefits are obvious: Clinical set-ups and processes can be designed much more efficiently. In acute care, the patient does not have to be transferred to the scanner anymore – the scanner can be moved to the patient. Further-more, institutions with RTP departments that do not utilize the full capacity of the system due to low patient volume can share resources with conventional radi-ology. The SOMATOM Definition AS sliding gantry will be available as a single-room and all AS scanner solution at the end of 2011 for all scanner configurations.

The SOMATOM Definition AS with sliding gantry adds a new dimension in flexibility.


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In the past few years, many new tech-nologies have been introduced in computed tomography for increasingly automatic and individual settings of CT scan procedures.

CARE kV – tube voltage tailored for each examinationCARE kV is one of these new technolo-gies. With CARE kV the tube voltage is adjusted automatically depending on the clinical question on a per-patient basis. Researchers from Zurich, Switzer-land, conducted a study for body CT Angiography (CTA) examinations using CARE kV on a SOMATOM Definition AS 64.[1] In the study 40 patients were examined and the reference setting for the tube voltage was set to 120 kV. CARE kV suggested the tube voltage for each scan based on the examination type and the topogram. This produced the following kV settings: 80 kV (1 patient), 100 kV (23 patients), 120 kV (15 patients), and 140 kV (1 patient). When changing the kV, the tube current must also be adjusted. As CARE kV works in combination with CARE Dose4D, this could be achieved simultaneously and automatically.Throughout the study image quality was maintained, and apply-ing CARE kV led to an overall dose reduc-tion of 25.1% in the entire patient popu-lation, compared to a standard 120 kV protocol. The mean CTDIvol decreased from 10.6 mGy to 7.9 mGy. For the subgroup of 24 patients where the tube voltage was reduced to either 80 kV or

CT Examinations Tailored Precisely to Individual Patient NeedsIndividual patient characteristics and the clinical question need to be considered when choosing parameters and settings for a CT examination. The latest scientifi c papers[1-4] clearly demonstrate that SOMATOM scanners ensure CT scans are tailored to individual patient needs.

By Heidrun Endt, MD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany.

1 Fig. 1 shows a CT Angiography examination with the SOMATOM Definition AS 64 in an 82-year-old patient after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. The scan was obtained using CARE kV and 120 kV was chosen as reference kV setting. As the patient had a low body mass index of 19 kg/m² CARE kV proposed 80 kV for this examination. The scan could be carried out with a CTDIvol of 2.88 mGy and 2.7 mSv effective dose. Courtesy of University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland

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100 kV, the dose reduction was 39.3%. The authors conclude that they “[…] could demonstrate the beneficial effect of this technique for body CTA […].”[1]

SAFIRE1 – designed to reduce radiation dose for every patient Radiation dose should always be consid-ered when performing a CT examination, as the benefit to potential risk ratio should be as high as possible. Iterative recon-struction algorithms such as IRIS and SAFIRE1 are powerful tools for reducing dose and following the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. An international group of researchers evalu-ated the potential of SAFIRE for coronary CTA examinations at the Medical Univer-sity of South Carolina (MUSC).[2] In this study 65 patients were examined with a SOMATOM Definition Flash. The exami-nations were obtained with the protocols established at MUSC. The first recon-struction used the conventional method of filtered back projection (FBP). After-wards, a second reconstruction with SAFIRE was performed using data from one tube of the Dual Source system, corresponding to a 50% reduction in radiation dose. When applying new reconstruction algorithms the diag-nostic accuracy must be taken into account. Both reconstructions and coronary catheter angiography exami-nations were used for the assessment of diagnostic accuracy. The results show that “[...] the applica-tion of this algorithm resulted in incre-mentally improved diagnostic accuracy for stenosis detection”,[2] despite the lower dose that was used. The obese patient population of this study had a mean body mass index of 32.4 kg / m2.

References[1] Winklehner A et al. Automated Attenuation-

Based Tube Potential Selection for Thoracoab-dominal Computed Tomography Angiography: Improved Dose Effectiveness. Invest Radiol. 2011 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print]

[2] Moscariello A et al. Coronary CT angiography: image quality, diagnostic accuracy, and potential for radiation dose reduction using a novel itera-tive image reconstruction technique-comparison with traditional filtered back projection. Eur Radiol. 2011 Oct;21(10):2130-8. Epub 2011 May 25.

[3] Winklehner A et al. Raw data-based iterative reconstruction in body CTA: evaluation of radia-tion dose saving potential. Eur Radiol. 2011 Aug 6. [Epub ahead of print]

[4] Wuest W et al. Dual source multidetector CT-angiography before Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) using a high-pitch spiral acquisition mode. Eur Radiol. 2011 Aug 17. [Epub ahead of print]

2 Fig. 2A shows a coronary CT Angiog-raphy examination with the SOMATOM Definition Flash from the study conducted at MUSC. The reconstruction was done using FBP. For image 2B data from one tube of the Dual Source system were used corresponding to a 50% reduction in dose. With SAFIRE image quality is main-tained in Fig. 2B and blooming artifacts could be reduced allowing for a more precise diagnosis.Courtesy of Medical University of South Carolina, USA

The CT scans were acquired in either ret-rospectively-gated mode or prospectively-triggered mode. The effective dose was 6.4 mSv for FBP, and 3.2 mSv for recon-structions with SAFIRE. Overall, the authors conclude that the results indi-cate “[…] the potential for substantial radiation dose savings […], which likely exceed the 50% margin set forth in this current investigation.”[2]

At the University Hospital in Zurich,[3] 25 patients underwent a body CTA exami-nation on a SOMATOM Definition Flash. The data were reconstructed twice: once using FBP and once with SAFIRE. As above, only data acquired with one of the two tubes were analyzed for the SAFIRE reconstructions. By comparing two reconstructions of the examination with different reconstruction tech-niques, the researchers could determine diagnostic accuracy. A key finding of the study includes the following statement: “In body CTA a dose reduction of >50% might be possible when using raw data-based iterative reconstructions, while image quality can be maintained.”[3]

TAVI planning – less contrast agent for multimorbid patientsTranscatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an emerging technique and pro-vides an alternative for patients who need a replacement of the aortic valve but cannot be referred to open surgery because of other pre-existing diseases. Whether a patient is suitable for TAVI needs to be decided based on the anat-omy of the aortic root and the vessels used to gain access for the procedure. The amount of contrast agent is an important issue as many multimorbid patients suffer from an impaired renal

function. An interdisciplinary group of researchers from Erlangen examined the potential of CT scans in 42 patients using the high-pitch mode on the SOMATOM Definition Flash with 40 ml of contrast agent.[4] The mean radiation dose for these examinations was 4.5 mSv. The conclusion highlights the benefits: “High-pitch spiral DSCTA [Dual Source CT Angiography] can be used to assess the entire aorta and iliac arteries in TAVI candidates with a low volume of con-trast agent while preserving diagnostic image quality.”[4]

These scientific papers prove the bene-fits of innovative CT technology in con-tributing to individualized patient care.

2B


2A

1The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S.



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Value Added MaxAbout to debut in Hamburg, a scanner for an optimized return on investment: Get ready for the new SOMATOM Perspective.1

By Eric Johnson

What a difference a few years make. Since he began practicing radiology in 1994, Johann-C. Steffens, MD, has watched an astonishing improvement in computed tomography. The speed at which images are generated, the num-ber of images per scan, the resolution of those images, their orientations, the elimination of artifacts – all of these have progressed far beyond what could have been imagined at the time. “Based on experience, I’m sure CT performance will continue to improve,” he says, “but it has already reached a level that was still in our dreams only a few years ago.”Soon those dreams will become reality for Steffens, when his Radiology Clinic in Hamburg (see sidebar) takes delivery of Siemens’ SOMATOM® Perspective1. This CT promises not only the latest innova-tions that deliver speed, quality, and efficient workflow to the people in scrubs and gowns – the radiologists, operators, and patients. It also offers incentives to those in business suits – the business and financial managers of radiology practices. The magic word starts with an “e”, for efficiency.

Savings in your handsSteffens is quick to point out that cost consciousness has soared in recent years. Even in relatively prosperous Germany, he notes that “spending is getting tighter and tighter, reimburse-ments are shrinking and shrinking.” At his own clinic, the budgeting pencil is always kept sharp. “More than ever before,” he says, “we are really keen

Johann-C. Steffens, MD, Radiology Clinic in Hamburg, Germany, has watched an astonishing improvement in computed tomography during the past few years.


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to assess costs and benefits of every-thing we do.”Of course, Steffens is not alone. Witness a recent letter to the New England Jour-nal of Medicine (2010; 363:888-891) by a trio of professors from Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Physi-cians’ have a “near-universal ignorance of actual costs associated with the deliv-ery of medical care,” contended Homero Rivas, John M. Morton, and Thomas M. Krummel. “This lack of cost awareness affects all other components of the price equation, rendering us incapable of understanding the true economic value of medical care.”With that kind of writing on the wall, it might seem a no-brainer to guess what Steffens chose to do about his cur-rent CT, an Emotion 16 from Siemens that he describes as “very good, pretty much faultless.” But rather than decid-ing to cut spending, instead he opted to cut a check. By bringing in a brand-new SOMATOM Perspective (which will be his fourth scanner from Siemens), he expects to sink the clinic’s total cost of ownership (TCO) in computed tomography. Economy is so central to the new scan-ner that it is built right into its dash-board. The so-called eMode allows oper-ation of the scanner in an outstanding patient-friendly and financially-efficient way – with a single click. An analysis of the scan is made in real time and the system is instantly fine-tuned to provide the exact scan the user wants, while simultaneously reducing wear and tear on the system. Coupled with this is a new ‘service plus’ approach from Siemens: for customers who run the SOMATOM Perspective in eMode for more than 80 percent of its operating time the institution will be rewarded with eMode Service Benefits such as maintenance scheduling out of core working time or even a reduction of ser-vice fees for the next contracted year. “We think our costs of maintenance are going to decline,” says Steffens, “and that is a good thing to see.”

Options Benefit

Interleaved Volume Reconstruction (IVR)

128 slices to improve spatial resolution

eMode

eMode Service Benefits

Efficient scanner usage with automated parameter settingConsequent eMode usage will be rewarded with valuable eMode Service Benefits

SAFIRE2 (Iterative Reconstruc-tion)

Dose reduction and superior image quality

iTRIM Improved temporal resolution for cardiac imaging

Lower waste heat and electricity Cuts electric and air-conditioning bills

Illumination MoodlightTM Comfortable scanning environment

Small footprint, 18.5 m2 Easy installation in one day. Leaves more valuable, clinical space available

Ultra Fast Ceramic (UFC™) Detector

Better images from less radiation

The new SOMATOM Perspective CT scanner

By bringing in a brand-new SOMATOM Perspective, Johann-C. Steffens, MD, expects to sink the clinic’s total cost of ownership in computed tomography.

1 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S.2 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S. 27



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And there will be other efficiencies and savings. Thanks to eMode's automated approach to scanning, scan parameters will be automatically adjusted with a clear focus on efficient scanner usage. Operating costs will also be reduced. The SOMATOM Perspective’s1 small size – a footprint of 18.5 square meters – takes up less clinical space, and allows it to be fully installed in just one day. It consumes less power and radiates less

Israelitisches Krankenhaus

Together with three other physicians and ten support staff, Johann-C. Steffens, MD. Treats some 10,000 patients each year at the Radiology Clinic of the Israelitsches Kranken-haus in Hamburg, Germany. A relatively small operation in a metro area of some 4 million residents, about half of its patients come from the hospi-tal, which specializes in gastroenter-ology, while the other half comprises ambulant cases of all types. Run as a private practice since 2004, the clinic uses computer tomography for intra-cranial, cervical, thoracic, abdominal, and extremities examinations.

heat than most scanners, which in turn cuts bills for electricity and air-condi-tioning.

A look at the technologyIn the SOMATOM Perspective, cost-consciousness is combined with a full palette of features. It incorporates Siemens technologies that provide speed and quality at low-dosage.The SOMATOM Perspective can be

equipped with Siemens’ innovative iTRIM to increase temporal resolution as low as 195 milliseconds for cardiac imaging, thereby reducing motion artifacts. This novel iterative image reconstruction algorithm improves the overall image quality and reduces image noise for obtaining accurate diagnosis in demanding situations, for example, in rapidly beating hearts.Then there is the Interleaved Volume Reconstruction (IVR) to detect even the smallest diagnostic detail by using the information of 128 slices, which for Steffens’s clinic will be a major step up from its current 16-slice model. Thanks to this and iTRIM, the SOMATOM Perspective is suited for any clinical field including cardiac studies. In addition, the scanner can acquire longer scan ranges in a shorter period of time, for example 50 centimeter scan cover-age at highest image quality in only 5.2 seconds.Dose reduction, also a key feature, comes to the SOMATOM Perspective as a trifecta. One element of this is CARE Dose4D™ that adapts the X-ray tube current for the entire scan range, aim-ing for constant image quality for all organs, patient shapes, and sizes – all in real time. It overcomes the most com-mon challenges in CT imaging that arise because: a) the applied dose in antero posterior and lateral positions need to be different; b) each slice needs differ-ent dose values; and c) patients are quite heterogeneous (young/elderly, small/large), so the applied dose must vary according to the individual patient.The second element of dose reduction is the use of Iterative Reconstruction (IR). Until recently, to use IR with CT imaging in conventional clinical medi-cine was too time-consuming: the com-puter took too long to reconstruct the images. With SAFIRE2 (Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction), Siemens introduced the industry’s first raw data-based iterative reconstruction algorithm. SAFIRE achieves up to 60 percent dose reduction for a wide range


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of applications and delivers superior image quality. Due to an excellent reconstruction speed of up to 15 images per second, SOMATOM Perspective allows SAFIRE in daily routine.The third element in dose-reduction comes from Ultra Fast Ceramic (UFC™) Detectors, which already have become a key feature in CTs that predate the SOMATOM Perspective. UFCs ensure smaller X-ray doses and still radiate with high luminance. So they outperform conventional detectors, which require more radiation to generate an equal-quality image.

Inside job Alongside features that optimize cost and maximize performance, the SOMATOM Perspective also has a perspective for those who use it every day, the operators and patients. For the former, ‘ease your workday’ accessories are standard, such as FAST Adjust, Workstream 4D, a storage box and a fast reconstruction speed with up to 20 images per second.For patients – the ultimate end-users – the SOMATOM Perspective provides more comfort. Its gantry can be equipped with an Illumination Mood-lightTM, which helps to banish the sterile, clinical look and feel of most examina-tion rooms. Beyond that, says Steffens, the SOMATOM Perspective’s speed and accuracy makes life easier for patients. “They spend less time holding their

breath,” he notes, “and fewer scans are required.” All in all, he says, the SOMATOM Perspective adds serious value to his clinic’s offering. “We’ll offer CT scans that are faster, better, with less radiation – and not least, more

patient comfort.”Eric Johnson, based in Zurich, Switzerland, writes about technology, science, and business.

“We think our costs of mainte-nance are going to decline, and that is a good thing to see.”

Johann-C. Steffens, MD, Radiology Clinic of Israelitisches Krankenhaus, Hamburg, Germany

The SOMATOM Perspective can acquire longer scan ranges in a shorter period of time, for example 50 centimeter scan coverage at highest image quality in only 5.2 seconds.

1 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S. 2 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S..

www.siemens.com/SOMATOM-Perspective


Accelerated Cardiovascular Assessment Powered by syngo.via SOMATOM Defi nition Flash and syngo.via1 ensure fast workfl ows and effi cient image management for cardiovascular reading.

By Ruth Wissler, MD

Specialists at the Cardiology Department of Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark and the Department of Radiol-ogy, University of Brescia, Italy, appreci-ate the user-friendly and efficient read-ing system in their daily cardiac imaging and therapy routines. The Cardiology Department at Aarhus University Hospi-tal has seven angio suites and performs between 2,500 and 3,000 cardiovascular readings per year with the SOMATOM Definition Flash. A five-license configura-tion allows simultaneous access to syngo.via in the scanner and the PACS reading room for streamlined cardiovas-cular evaluations. With a three-license syngo.via configura-tion and the SOMATOM Definition Flash, the Department of Radiology at the Uni-

versity of Brescia performs at least 20 to 25 vascular, coronary and oncological scans per day.With accelerated automated pre-process-ing, syngo.via reduces the time neededfor full cardiac assessment or aortic stent planning. As soon as a cardiac case is opened, automatically pre-processed images are displayed, and the coronary vessels, the functional parameters, and the prepared calcium score can be evalu-ated immediately.

Robust functional assessment

Morten Bøttcher, MD, PhD, (Cardiology Department at Aarhus University Hospi-tal), particularly appreciates the quick overall cardiac assessment, the accurate detection of ventricular borders, and the

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precise visualization and rapid quantifi-cation of calcified coronary lesions. “For functional imaging the important thing is to detect the (ventricular) borders. And syngo.via does that really well,” says Bøttcher.The combination of SOMATOM CT’s MinDose functionality and the syngo.CT Cardiac Function represent a highly dose-saving symbiosis for assessing complete global and local cardiac function.

Fast planning and placement of aortic prosthesis“With syngo.via, aortic stent planning is a matter of seconds,“ says Roberto Maroldi, MD, Head of the Department of Radiology at the University of Brescia. The automatic pre-processing features remove table and rib cage and thus ensure that the case is ready for review when opened. The automatic segmenta-tion, labeling, and calculation of curved planar reformatted images2 of the aorta, runoffs and renal arteries help to imme-diately assess the status of the general vessels. The stent planning template guides the user through all measure-ments necessary for planning of Abdom-inal Aortic Aneurism (AAA) stents.The specialists’ experience with the SOMATOM Definition Flash scanner and syngo.via at Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Denmark and the Department of Radiology, University of Brescia, Italy confirm the unique symbiosis of scanner and software in modern diagnostic imaging and therapy.

“For functional imaging the important thing is to detect the (ventricular) borders. And syngo.via does that really well.”

Morten Bøttcher, MD, PhD, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark

“syngo.via is an excellent tool for planning placement of prosthesis for abdominal aneurysms.”

Roberto Maroldi, MD, Dept. of Radiology, University of Brescia, Italy

1 syngo.via can be used as a stand-alone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options, which are medical devices in their own rights.2 Available with syngo.CT Vascular Analysis – Autotracer

Ruth Wissler, MD, studied veterinary and human medicine. She is an expert in science communications and medical writing.


cussed the danger to seri-ously injured or sick patients where time is critical.Rejecting the inevitability of such breakdowns, Siemens scientists and engineers have designed the Guardian Program including TubeGuard for all systems of the SOMATOM Definition family, a remote service that continuously (24/7) monitors ten important functions of the STRATON X-ray tube and warns days in advance of possible breakdowns. A tube replacement can then be scheduled at a time convenient for the hospital – if necessary at two or three a.m. – causing little or no interruption to the radiology routine the next morning.

Siemens’ promise:With the Guardian Pro-gram™ including Tube-Guard, Siemens will predict nearly all potential tube failures on time. Should it fail a fair compensation policy (as deter-mined in the users’ home country) takes effect to minimize any scan-time loss incurred. The local Siemens representa-tive will provide more details.

Workfl ow assurance:“I was very impressed when Siemens contacted me recommending a tube replacement based on proactive real-time system monitoring with the Siemens Guardian Program™ including Tube-Guard,” said Terakado Hideji, MD, Chief Radiologist, Jichi Medical University

Minimizing Scan Time Loss with TubeGuardBy Tony de Lisa

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Normally, an automobile owner is not aware that his dealer has checked the profile of his auto’s tires at every major service visit. This simple control, that requires only a few minutes to complete, actually delivers a lot of information: are the tires presently safe to use, how much longer before new tires are required (based upon use and driving habits) and what danger points – such as split side-walls – can be observed that indicate the possibility – even prob-ability – of a blow-out. An intelligent driver understands that tires are con-sumable items that are subject to wear and tear and therefore, have a maximum life expectancy. Three factors primarily effect these results, i.e. the quality of the tire manufacture in the first place. the driving habits of the auto owner over time and mileage.At this point, the normal reader would suggest that comparing tires to X-ray tubes – such as Siemens’ STRATON® – is banal. But is it really? Why not take a three minute diversion from your daily routine and re-read the previous para-graph substituting the word, “X-ray tube” for “tire.”This information begs the question, “Who would not insist on having this inspection done regularly?”At this point, our “tire/tube” comparison ends. With a flat tire, one mounts the spare tire and resumes driving to the next dealer. But the financial and organi-zational results of a CT X-ray tube break-down are enormous in comparison. Just consider a radiology department that does 50 CT scans per day. There a tube breakdown can mean a financial loss that runs into the thousands. One hospi-tal director informs us that “Everything must be re-scheduled (in event of a breakdown) including the arrival of a helicopter.” And we have not yet dis-

Hospital, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. “This new cutting-edge service enables us to plan the tube replacement at a convenient time based on our clinical workflow. As patients and staff are scheduled accordingly, patient satisfaction can also be significantly increased.”

If there is any tube malfunction in a SOMATOM Definition scanner (Fig. 1A), TubeGuard, included in the Guardian Program, can detect it proac-tively (Fig. 1B) and tube replacement can then be scheduled at a time convenient for the hospital.

1B

Tony de Lisa is an external writer and based in Nuremberg, Germany.

1A



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Versatility at High SpeedSOMATOM Defi nition Flash CT scanners are a quantum leap in terms of diagnostic capabilities and patient-safety. At the same time, they offer a uniquely wide range of applications, from sophisticated scientifi c use to routine work.

By Justus Krüger

The PUMC Hospital in Peking is among the best and largest medical institutions in China. The hospital was founded in 1921 by the Rockefeller Foundation and is known internationally as the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMC). It has a long tradition of excellence and of serving the public benefit: as a teach-ing institution, as an outstanding centre of scientific research, and as a clinic for the general public. It houses 1,800 hos-pital beds; every day, more than 12,000 outpatients go through its gates near Dongdan in the Wangfujing area in downtown Peking. With this throughput of truly enormous proportions, it is not surprising that the patients not only come from the Chinese capital alone. Nor are they exclusively Chinese.

Attracting patients from abroad“Ours is a university hospital, and our prime considerations are of course social factors,” says Professor Jin Zhengyu, MD, who knows the hospital – and the city of Peking – like the back of his hand. He was born and raised in the Chinese capital, and he studied at the PUMC. “What we do here is provide solutions for population-based prob-lems.” Yet, the fact that the Xiehe Hos-pital has a reputation as a technically sophisticated centre of medical excel-lence attracts patients from far beyond the boundaries of the city and even from abroad.Professor Jin is the Director of the Radi-ology Department at PUMC Hospital, as well as the doctoral supervisor and

complete scan of the heart for instance only takes quarter of a second with the Flash Spiral. And still with the Flash, scans can be made at all heart rates without using beta-blockers. Addition-ally, patients do not need to hold their breath during lung scans. “This improves the imaging quality,” says Professor Jin, “because patients are not able to hold their breath. In such a case, you would get a poor imaging result with a slower scanner.” For the same reason – the exceptional scanning speed – young infants do not need to be sedated when scanned, without compromising the image quality. The high speed of Flash Spiral CT also means a low dose of radiation of below one millisievert in cardiac CT. This is of great benefit for CT heart examinations in younger individuals that are yet still of a lower risk of cardiac disease. In all these respects – lung scans with-out holding the breath, heart scans at all heart rates without the use of beta blockers, the capability to perform a scan on infants without sedation, and radiation levels below one millisievert in daily practice – the SOMATOM Defini-tion Flash is the only CT to deliver.A further unique feature of the SOMATOM Definition Flash CT is its capacity in dynamic imaging whole organ perfusion. Covering an area of up to 48 centimeters the Flash offers the longest 4D scan range in the market. “We use the Adaptive 4D Spiral for a variety of areas, such as liver-, kidney- and pancreas-perfusion,” says Professor

Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Radiology. “People come to our hospital from many different countries,” he says. “Not only from Asia, but also from all over the world.” Part of the global pull exercised by the hospital is its state-of-the-art radiology department.It goes without saying, that the PUMC Hospital and its radiology department use the best medical equipment avail-able. Part of this is a set of six Siemens CT scanner, including three SOMATOM Definition Flash CTs. Professor Jin is so convinced of the benefits of Flash CT that his hospital has just ordered another one.

The optimal diagnosisThe reason why Professor Jin and his hospital opted for no less than four Flash CTs is that they offer a variety of advantages over all other CT scanners. They are superior in virtually every respect, ranging from their diagnostic versatility and speed to image accuracy, radiation levels and patient comfort. “These two aspects – accuracy and patient comfort – are really the same thing,” says Professor Jin. “From my per-spective, of course, the imaging capabil-ities of the equipment usually are the key consideration: you have to be able to make the optimal diagnosis. Whether it’s comfortable or not is a second con-sideration. But in this case, accuracy and patient comfort are internally con-nected.”This is largely due to the scan speed of the renowned Flash Spiral mode. A


Business


pare the dose of a single Dual Energy scan with that emitted by two separate Single Source CT scans. And in such cases, we remain far below the radia-tion dose produced by single-energy scanners.”

From scientifi c use to medical routine workLow radiation dose combined with superior image quality make the SOMATOM Definition Flash the most versatile CT scanner available. “What this means is that we have more diag-nostic tools at our disposal than before,” says Professor Jin.The result is above all a benefit for the patient. CT neuro imaging, for instance, is very often a matter of life-and-death therapeutic decision-making. SOMATOM Definition Flash provides tools and workflows that help deliver a complete and accurate status of the vascular structures and the brain tissue for these patients – from scanning to diagnosis in less than ten minutes.In addition, Flash substantially reduces the necessity for invasive diagnoses. The diagnosis of gout is such a case, as

is Flash’s capability to visualize chemical differences in kidney stones. Flash CT can reliably identify those patients who can benefit from medical treatment alone and avoid unnecessary interven-tional procedures. “This was an impor-tant consideration for us when we pur-chased Flash scanners,” says Professor Jin. “Although ultimately it is up to the doctor how to use the tools at his dis-posal. You can come up with far more applications in practice.” It is precisely these benefits for the patient which bring about economical advantages for hospitals and radiolo-gists as well. This is because unneces-sary interventions can be singled out and avoided – and because the diagnos-tic superiority and financial efficiency of Flash CT are a powerful argument both for patients and for allocators. This means that due to their unrivaled clini-cal capabilities, Flash scanners make sense economically as well. So much so that institutions with a large throughput of patients such as the Xiehe Hospital in Peking are opting for several SOMATOM Definition Flash.Thanks to this incomparable versatility, Professor Jin is convinced that the Flash is the best routine scanner available. At the same time, Flash scanners are at the top of the pack when it comes to scien-tific work, as they cover a wider range of applications than any other device. This makes them superior to other Dual Energy devices, as well as to conven-tional single source high-end scanners, both for everyday radiological work and for more sophisticated usage. “This is really suitable for an extraordinarily wide range of applications,” says Profes-sor Jin.

Jin. “Also, we use it more and more for tumor diagnosis and follow-up studies.”

Patient safety – The lowest exposure to radiationThe superior capabilities of Siemens’ SOMATOM Definition Flash CT is also connected to its Dual Energy approach. By using two tubes instead of one like in conventional CT systems, two datasets at different energy level can be aquired simultaneously. The resulting Dual Energy image adds tissue characteristics to morphological information. But this does not mean patients are exposed to additional dose as all dose-saving tech-niques are fully utilized. In some applications, the dose is even lower than in conventional scans, when compared to conventional 120 kV examinations.“For abdominal applications, for instance, you can use the data from the Dual Energy scan to produce a non-con-trast (VNC) image,” says Professor Jin. “So if you scan only one phase, you can enhance the phase using Dual Energy and thus you can produce two-phase images. That means we have to com-

“From my perspective, the imaging capabilities of the equipment usually are the key consider-ation: you have to be able to make the optimal diagnosis.”

Professor Jin Zhengyu, MD, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking, China

Justus Krüger is a freelance journalist based in Hong Kong. He has written for the Financial Times Deutschland, Geo, the South China Morn-ing Post, the Berliner Zeitung, and McK Wissen.


Clinical Results Cardio-Vascular

Case 1SOMATOM Defi nition Flash: Ruling out Coronary Artery Disease and Diagnosing Coronary Arteritis with 1.3 mSvBy J. Matthias Kerl, MD, Martin Beeres, MD, Boris Schell, MD, Thomas J. Vogl, MD, Ralf W. Bauer, MD

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany


HISTORY

A 52-year-old male patient with an inter-mediate coronary risk profile (cigarette smoking and hypercholesterolemia) was referred to the Department of Radiology on account of two collapses in the past two weeks. Cardiac enzyme-levels were normal. The patient reported transient typical chest pain. The coronary CT Angi-ography (cCTA) was performed with a

1 2

1 VRT of the left coronary artery shows the soft tissue mass surrounding the vessel (arrow).

2 VRT of the right coronary artery shows the soft tissue mass surrounding the vessel (arrow).

prospective triggered sequence tech-nique with a mean heart rate of 65 bpm.

DIAGNOSIS

During cCTA, coronary artery disease was excluded as a reason for the atypical chest pain. However, a soft tissue mass was found in the area of the bifurcation

of the left coronary artery which also enclosed the proximal and mid part of the left anterior descending coronary artery and the circumflex coronary artery. Additionally, this same soft tissue entity was seen in the mid part of the right coronary artery. After performing curved multiplanar reformations, it was suspected that these soft tissue masses



Cardio-Vascular Clinical Results

3 4

3 Curved multiplanar reformations of the bifurcation of the left coronary artery demonstrate enclosure of the coronary artery (arrow).

4 MIP of the bifurcation of the left coronary artery visualizing the narrowing of the left coronary artery and the surrounding soft tissues.

EXAMINATION PROTOCOL

Scanner SOMATOM Definition Flash

Scan area Heart

Scan length 17 cm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal

Scan time 8 s

Tube voltage 100 kV with CARE kV

Tube current 280 mAs

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D

CTDIvol 5.90 mGy

DLP 81 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.28 s

Pitch Sequence

Slice collimation 128 x 0.6 mm

Slice width 0.75 mm

Spatial resolution 0.33 mm

Reconstruction increment 0.4 mm

Reconstruction kernel B26f

Contrast

Volume 80 ml

Flow rate 5 ml/s

Start delay Test Bolus

not only enclosed the coronary arteries but also infiltrated them. Based on the findings in the cCTA, a biopsy of these masses was performed. The pathological result was a coronary arteritis.

COMMENTS

Coronary CT Angiography is a well-established method to rule out coronary artery disease. The ongoing CT tech-nique development, with doses below 1.5 mSv for a complete diagnostic coro-nary CT Angiography, has helped to implement cardiac CT in the clinical rou-tine. In this case, the cardiac CT allowed the visualization of the soft tissue masses surrounding the coronary arteries as well as establishing the coronary arterial morphology.


Case 2Fast and Precise Imaging of Aortic Intimal Flap Using High Pitch Flash Scan Protocol without ECG-Triggering or -GatingBy Garrett Rowe, MD, Joseph U. Schoepf, MD

Department of Radiology and Radiologic Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charlston, SC, USA

HISTORY

A 55-year-old female patient, with status post aortic arch replacement via redo sternotomy, suffered a complicated post-operative course which included distal embolism with right foot ischemia and significant renal failure. An aortic CTA scan was performed prior and after a tho-racoabdominal aneurysm repair, in which an interval descending thoracic aortic graft was placed extending from the proximal descending thoracic aorta to just cranial to the renal arteries.

DIAGNOSIS

Prior to the thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair, the aortic CTA scan showed evi-dence of a new intimal flap in the proxi-mal descending thoracic aorta with extensive surrounding intramural hema-toma of the aortic arch, a small anterior mediastinal hematoma (Fig. 1) and a small pseudoaneurysm adjacent to the aortic root (Fig. 2). The descending tho-racoabdominal aortic aneurysm with a maximum diameter of 5.2 cm at the level of the diaphragmatic hiatus and the

extensive formation of wall-adherent thrombus remained (Fig. 1). Other unchanged findings also included aneu-rysmal dilatation of the innominate artery, subclavian arteries and common iliac arteries, and the tight stenosis of the celiac axis at its origin (Fig. 3) with adja-cent wall-adherent thrombus. The renal arteries were normal in caliber with there being three right renal arteries and a sin-gle left artery. Of note, the distal most right renal artery originated off the right common iliac artery (Fig. 3).


Scanner SOMATOM Definition Flash Scanner SOMATOM Definition Flash

Study date Jan 11, 2011 Study date Feb 22, 2011

Scan area Thorax Abdomen Scan area Thorax Abdomen

Scan length 519 mm Scan length 552 mm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal Scan direction Cranio-caudal

Scan time 1.2 s Scan time 2.08 s

Tube voltage 120 kV / 120 kV Tube voltage 120 kV / 120 kV

Tube current 320 mAs Tube current 131 mAs

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D Dose modulation CARE Dose4D

CTDIvol 5.5 mGy CTDIvol 7.30 mGy

DLP 312 mGy cm DLP 446 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.28 s Rotation time 0.28 s

Pitch 3.2 Pitch 1.95

Slice collimation 128 x 0.6 mm Slice collimation 128 x 0.6 mm

Slice width 1.5 mm Slice width 1.5 mm

Reconstruction kernel B30f Reconstruction kernel B30f




1 An intimal flap in the proximal descend-ing thoracic aorta (solid arrow) with exten-sive surrounding intramural hematoma of the aortic arch (arrow head), and the descending thoracoabdominal aortic aneu-rysm with extensive formation of wall-adherent thrombus (dashed arrow).

4 Abdominal aortic aneurysm after repair.

2 A small pseudo-aneurysm adjacent to the aortic root (arrow).

5 A remaining small pseudo-aneurysm adjacent to the aortic root (arrow).

3 A tight stenosis of the celiac axis at its origin (arrow). Three right renal arteries with the most distal originate off the right common iliac artery (arrow head).

6 The re-implanted celiac axis and the superior mesenteric arteries.

1

4

2

5

3

6

After the interval repair of the descend-ing thoracic aorta dissection, the follow up aortic CTA scan revealed no evidence of complication. The pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysm was without significant interval change and its maximum diame-ter was reduced to 3.7 cm (Fig. 4). The ascending thoracic aorta and aortic arch repair were unchanged with a small pseudoaneurysm again noted (Fig. 5). The celiac axis and the superior mesen-teric arteries appeared to have been reim-planted (Fig. 6).

COMMENTS

Aortic CTA scanning is routinely applied to demonstrate vascular changes and to help in surgical planning. Previously, one of the challenges was the “blurring” or “double contour” effect due to motion artifacts caused by the aortic pulsation which often presented difficulties in visu-alizing the intimal flaps, especially in the ascending aorta and aortic arch. This was improved when the ECG-gated spiral scanning was introduced. However, it had to be performed at the costs of slower scanning and associated higher radiation dose. A new scanner with a new scan-

ning technique improved that – the SOMATOM Definition Flash scanner and its Flash scanning protocols. In this case it provided the possibility of scanning at a pitch of 3.2 (43 cm/s), meaning the acquisition time is dramatically shortened and therefore the temporal resolution is highly increased. This makes the ECG-triggering and -gating unnecessary. In combination with the excellent high con-trast resolution provided with the scan-ner, a fast and precise imaging of the aor-tic intimal flap is made possible as shown in this case.





Case 3Flash Scanning of Coronary CTA with just 0.3 mSvBy Kai Sun, MD, Rui Juan Han, MD, Li Jun Ma, MD, Wang Gang, MD, Li Gang Li, MD

Department of Radiology, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

HISTORY

A 53-year-old male patient, a former smoker with a history of diabetes, was admitted to the hospital with paroxysmal chest distress. ECG revealed a sinus rhythm with no significant ST-T changes. Coronary CTA was performed to rule out cardiac disease.

DIAGNOSIS

Curved reformation of the obtuse mar-ginal artery demonstrated a severe steno-sis in the proximal segment.

COMMENTS

The second generation of Dual Source CT, the SOMATOM Definition Flash, provides an ultra-fast scanning mode (Flash Spiral mode) using a pitch of 3.4 for coronary CTA examinations. Due to the wider detector width of 38.4 mm, it is now pos-sible to examine the entire heart (128 mm) within one cardiac cycle in a time period of 207 ms. Moreover, the radia-tion dose has been significantly reduced. There have been reports of coronary CTAs with an effective dose of less than 1 mSv. In this case, the Flash mode was applied using 80 kV to further reduce the effec-tive dose to just 0.3 mSv. The acquired image quality was excellent to establish the relevant diagnosis.


1 VRT (Fig. 1A) and MIP image (Fig. 1B) show the obtuse marginal artery with severe stenosis (arrows) in the proximal segment.

1A






Scan area Heart Pitch 3.4

Heart rate 60 bpm Slice collimation 128 x 0.6 mm

Scan length 128 mm Slice width 0.75 mm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal Spatial resolution 0.33 mm

Scan time 0.2 s Reconstruction increment 0.4 mm

Tube voltage 80 kV / 80 kV Reconstruction kernel B26f

Tube current 312 mAs Contrast

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D Volume 60 ml

CTDIvol 1.43 mGy Flow rate 5 ml/s

DLP 22 mGy cm Start delay 8 s

Effective dose 0.3 mSv


1B




Case 4Flash Scanning for Pediatric Aortic Abnormalities without Sedation at 0.6 mSvBy Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, Brian Ghoshhajra, MD, MBA

Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

HISTORY

A 5-year-old girl was presented with a history of nausea upon exertion. Echo-cardiography revealed a right sided aortic arch. The patient was referred to cardio vascular CT examination to assess the presence of a vascular ring as a cause of her exertional nausea.

DIAGNOSIS

Cardiac and aortic CT Angiography (CTA) confirmed the right sided aortic arch. In addition, an aberrant retro-esophageal left subclavian artery with a 2.3 cm Kommerell’s diverticulum at its origin was displayed. The presence of a small patent ductus arteriosus connecting the diverticulum and the proximal left pul-monary artery indicated a complete vas-cular ring. The cardiac morphology as well as the origin and course of the cor-onary arteries showed no abnormality.

COMMENTS

The cardiovascular CTA was performed with Flash scanning mode triggered by ECG to acquire the entire scan range in 0.43 seconds. The child laughed during scanning, despite instructions to hold her breath and lie still. Her heart rate during scanning varied between 93 and 104 bpm. Despite these distractions, CTA

helped clinch the diagnosis without the need of sedation. CARE kV and CARE Dose4D™ techniques applied in the exam helped select the appropriate kV and mAs settings auto-matically to achieve the lowest possible radiation dose of 0.6 mSv.

Dose reduction for this child started with acquisition of just one AP Topogram at 80 kV and lowest possible tube current of 20 mAs. The same low dose setting was also applied to the pre-monitoring and monitoring scans using bolus track-ing technique.



Scan area Thorax

Scan length 132 mm


Scan time 0.43 s




CTDIvol 0.80 mGy

DLP 15 mGy cm


Pitch 3.4


Slice width 0.75 mm




Contrast

Volume 40 ml

Flow rate 2.8 ml/s

Start delay 12 s with bolus tracking technique



1 Lowest possible radiation dose was used as shown in the patient protocol (Fig. 1A) for acquiring monitoring scans (Fig. 1B) in bolus tracking.

1A 1B

2 MPR image shows right-sided aortic arch (arrow, Fig. 2A). MIP (Fig. 2B) and VRT (Fig. 2C) images show a Kommerell‘s diverticulum (arrow) at the origin of the retroesophageal left subclavian artery. Please also note that there is a complete vascular ring as evidenced by additional presence of a small patent ductus arteriosus (arrowhead, Fig. 2C-2D) between the diverticulum and the left pulmonary artery.

2A

2C

2B

2D


Clinical Results Oncology

Case 5Examination of a Patient with Lung Can-cer with SOMATOM Defi nition AS Open to Evaluate Treatment and Calculate DoseBy Jean Meyskens, MD, Katrien Geboers, MD, Sally Gysbrechts, Medical Physics, MSc, Iwan Scheelen, Medical Physics, MSc

Department of Radiation Oncology, AZ Turnhout, Turnhout, Belgium

HISTORY

A 75-year-old male patient, with known restrictive lung disease, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma cT1 pN0 M0 in December 2010. The CT exam showed a coin lesion in the upper lobe of the left lung. The patient was considered medi-cally inoperable and was therefore sub-mitted for radiation therapy.

DIAGNOSIS

Virtual simulation of the treatment was done with both arms up on a lung board. CT scanning was performed using the Anzai system (CT Respiratory Gating System). An average MidVent (Middle of Ventilation) and 20% phase-based CT images were reconstructed (Fig. 1). Vir-tual simulation of the treatment isocen-ter was based on the MidVent image.The average CT image (Fig. 2)1 was used for dose calculation in the treatment planning system. The GTV (Gross Target Volume) of the lesion and the organs at risk were contoured on the MidVent image (Fig. 3). The breathing-correlated motion of the lesion was defined by the 20% phases, and an ITV (Internal Target Volume) was constructed.After evaluation of the target volume and organs at risk, the patient was considered a good candidate for stereotactic radio-therapy with 3 fractions of 18 Gy admin-

istered with an interval of at least 40 hrs (in this case treatment on Wednesday, Friday, and Monday). The treatment was given with coplanar intensity modulated photon beams on a Siemens ARTISTE linear accelerator with MV CBCT (Mega Voltage Cone Beam CT) guidance. The average CT image was used as the refer-ence CT image to directly correct the patient position before the beginning of treatment. The patient subsequently suffered no side effects due to the radiotherapy.



Scanner SOMATOM Definition AS Open

Scan mode Thorax Resp Gating

Scan area Thorax

Scan length 270 mm

Scan direction Caudo-cranial

Scan time 80 s

Tube voltage 120 kV

Tube current 40 mAs

Rotation time 0.5 s


Slice width 3 mm



CTDIvol 29.16 mGy

DLP 826 mGy cm

COMMENTS

Without respiratory correlated CT images, standard margins for tumor motion have to be used, resulting in a larger target volume. In this case, the target volume would be too close to the chest wall to apply a stereotactic dose. An alternative would have been to apply a lower biolo-gical equivalent dose at a longer overall treatment time, which would have not been not optimal for this patient. With the help of the respiratory-gated CT imaging, the treatment plan can be individually optimized.

1 Using the TSpace View functionality.



Oncology Clinical Results

1A

2

1B

3

1C

1 CT images reconstructed at the middle of the ventilation (Fig. 1A), –20% (Fig. 1B) and 20% (Fig. 1C) demonstrate the motion of the lesion (arrow) on grid.

3 Dose and volume were calculated for stereotactic radiotherapy.

2 An average CT image was used for dose calculation.

MidVent

Average

–20 % 20 %



Case 6Low Dose Pediatric Flash CT Scanning with IRIS – A Follow-up Study after Neuroblastoma RelapseBy Harald Seifarth, MD, Ruth Lim, MD

Department of Pediatric Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

HISTORY

A 5-year-old boy, with known stage IV Neuroblastoma, underwent tumor resec-tion with left-sided nephrectomy and lymphadenectomy 14 months ago, fol-lowed by radiotherapy. He suffered from intermittent abdominal pain which had progressed over the past 2 weeks. A CT exam was ordered for restaging.



Scanner SOMATOM Definition Flash Scanner Vendor A

Scan area Abdomen Pelvis Scan area Abdomen Pelvis

Scan length 298 mm Scan length 270 mm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal Scan direction Cranio-caudal

Scan time 0.73 s Scan time 5.9 s

Tube voltage 80 kV / 80 kV Tube voltage 100 kV

Tube current 56 mAs CTDIvol 4.32 mGy

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D DLP 212.31 mGy cm

CTDIvol 0.89 mGy Rotation time 0.5 s

DLP 33 mGy cm Slice width 2.5 mm

Rotation time 0.28 s Reconstruction increment 2.5 mm

Pitch 3.0


Slice width 3 mm

Reconstruction increment 3 mm

Reconstruction kernel I30f / B30f

DIAGNOSIS

Relapse of Neuroblastoma with new soft tissue masses in the retroperitoneum, dis-placing and compressing the inferior vena cava, was diagnosed.

COMMENTS

As the patient was very ill, the Flash scan-ning protocol was used which enabled a very short scan time of 0.73 s to cover the entire abdomen and pelvis. The use of an 80 kV protocol in combination with IRIS (Iterative Reconstruction in Image Space) allowed a very low dose scan, resulting in

a DLP of 33 mGy cm. While comparing the previous CT scans performed 14 months ago on another scanner (from “Vendor A”) with a DLP of 212 mGy cm (Fig. 1), it was observed that despite the lower radiation dose (15.6% of the baseline scan DLP), the images acquired with the present scan on SOMATOM Definition Flash (Fig. 2) were excellent for diagnosis. The baseline scan was acquired in 5.9 s and the patient was mildly sedated to avoid motion artifacts. Using the Flash scanning protocol, sedation was not nec-essary due to the short acquisition time.




1 Images acquired on a scanner from “Vendor A” with a DLP of 212 mGy cm. Fig. 1A demonstrated a left-sided supra-renal soft tissue mass, Figs. 1B and 1C were reconstructed for comparison with Figs. 2B and 2C.

2 Images acquired on the SOMATOM Definition Flash with a DLP of 33 mGy cm. Figs. 2B and 2C revealed soft tissue masses in the retroperi-toneum displacing and compressing the inferior vena cava. Fig. 2A was reconstructed for comparison with Fig. 1A.

1A

1B

1C

2A

2B

2C

Baseline CT Scan (Vendor A) Follow-up CT Scan (SOMATOM Defi nition Flash)



Case 7Dose Reduction Combining CARE Dose4D, CARE kV and SAFIRE TechniquesBy Richard Deignan, MD, Liz D’Arcy, DCR

CT Department, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford, Ireland

HISTORY

An elderly male patient was diagnosed with laryngeal carcinoma and treated with radiotherapy in 2002. He was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of hoarseness, progressive dysphasia, anorexia and weight loss over a period of eight weeks.

DIAGNOSIS

A thorax and abdomen contrast CT scan was performed, which demonstrated an ill-defined soft tissue mass in the supra-


sternal region, anterior to the sternum (Fig. 1A) with asymmetrical thickening of the major pectoral muscle (Fig. 1B). In the clinical exam, bilateral enlarged axillary lymph nodes, measuring as large as 3 cm in diameter, were found (Fig. 2). An ill-defined and slightly enhanced mass in the sub-carinal area was shown (Fig. 3), as well as diffuse abnormal soft tissue infiltration in the mediastinum (Fig. 4).A malignant process was suspected and a biopsy followed. This showed features

of a high grade lymphoma, most likely a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

COMMENTS

To achieve optimal image quality with the lowest possible dose, various CT techniques have been established.CARE Dose4D modulates the tube current (mA) automatically based on the diameter of various body regions to produce constant image quality over the entire scan range. CARE kV uses

1 Sagittal MPR demonstrates an ill-defined soft tissue mass in the supra sternal region, anterior to the sternum (Fig. 1A). Axial image shows asymmetrical thickening of the major pectoral muscle (Fig. 1B).

1A 1B




2 Coronal MPR image displays bilateral enlarged axillary lymph nodes.

3 Coronal MPR image shows an ill-defined and slightly enhanced mass in the sub-carinal area.

4 Sagittal MPR image demon-strates diffuse abnormal soft tis-sue infiltration in the mediastinum.


Scanner SOMATOM Definition AS 64

Scan area Thorax Abdomen

Scan length 476 mm


Scan time 15 s


Tube current 78 mAs


CTDIvol 3.48 mGy

DLP 170 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.5 s


Slice width 5 mm

Reconstruction

kernel

I30f

Contrast 2 phase injection

Phase 1 70 ml at 3 ml/s and 40 ml saline flush

Phase 2 30 ml at 2 ml/s and25 ml saline flush

Start delay 70 s

information gathered by the topogram to optimize kV and mAs settings so that a user-selected contrast-to-noise ratio is maintained. SAFIRE1 is Siemens’ raw data-based iterative reconstruction tech-nique. In this case, CT scanning was per-formed with a combination of CARE Dose4D, and CARE kV and then recon-structed with the use of SAFIRE to remove noise and possible artifacts from the low dose scan. This enabled an individual-ized low dose scan with only 2.4 mSv for the entire thorax and abdomen.

3

4

2

1 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.In clinical practice, the use of SAFIRE may reduce CT patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location, and clinical practice. A con-sultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diag-nostic image quality for the particular clinical task.The following test method was used to determine a 60% dose reduction when using the SAFIRE reconstruc-tion software. Noise, CT numbers, homogenity, low-contrast resolution and high contrast resolution were assessed in a Gammex 438 phantom. Low dose data reconstructed with SAFIRE showed the same image quality compared to full dose data based on this test. Data on file.



Case 8Lung Ventilation Imaging with Dual Energy Xenon CT in Single Breath TechniqueBy Prof. Norinari Honda, MD, Hisami Yanagita

Department of Radiology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Japan

HISTORY

A 75-year-old male patient was referred to the radiology department for detailed imaging, after a mass was seen on his chest radiography. He is an ex-smoker with 53 pack years who quit two years ago. He has been taking anti-hyperten-sive medication for the past 20 years. The lung auscultation sounded normal and superficial lymph nodes were not palpable. Focal neurological deficits were not found. A Dual Energy xenon ventilation CT scan using single breath technique and a lung perfusion scintig-raphy by SPECT examination were ordered for detailed examination of the lung mass and lung function. Brain MRI was ordered to detect occult brain metastases.

DIAGNOSIS

The lung perfusion scintigraphy and SPECT showed a defect corresponding to the mass. Perfusion of the other areas of the lung was homogeneous and normal. The ratio of the sum of the pixel counts of the left upper lobe to that of the whole lung was 0.86. On unenhanced CT, the lung mass measured 6 cm at its greatest diameter. Enlarged lymph nodes, pleural nodules and pulmonary nodes other than the mass were not



ScannerSOMATOM Definition Flash

Scan mode Dual Energy

Scan area Thorax

Scan length 348 mm


Scan time 5 s

Tube voltage 80 kV / 100 kV

Tube current 190 mAs / 81 mAs


CTDIvol 6.60 mGy

DLP 247 mGy cm



Slice width 1.5 mm

Reconstruction increment

0.7 mm

Reconstruction kernel

D30f

noted. Dual Energy Xenon CT showed a ventilation defect corresponding to the mass. And the ratio of the sum of the pixel values of the xenon images covering the left upper lobe to that of the whole lung was 0.83, which was in accordance with the scintigraphy results. The patient was diagnosed with T2b M0 N0 (UICC 7th edition) primary lung cancer (poorly differentiated squa-mous cell carcinoma) and was scheduled for left upper lobectomy. MRI revealed an occlusion of the right intracranial internal carotid artery. Brain perfusion SPECT revealed hypoperfusion of the right frontal and parietal lobe.

COMMENTS

Xenon ventilation mapping using Dual Energy CT single breath technique[1] depicted the ventilation defect at the mass and also showed normal ventila-tion in other portions of the lungs. Risk of peri-operative cerebral infarction was estimated as high due to the presence of the right carotid artery occlusion. The patient underwent a left upper lobec-tomy. Metastases were absent in the intra-operative pathological examination. Post-operative pathological analysis of the sampled nodes revealed metastases

in one out of fourteen dissected lymph nodes. The patient was staged as pT2b N1 M0. He recovered uneventfully.

[1] N. Honda et al, Radiology 2011 in press



1–2 Coronal (Fig. 1) and sagittal MPR (Fig. 2) showed the mass in the left upper lobe.

3–4 Xenon ventilation mapping by Dual Energy CT depicted the ventilation defect at the mass and also showed nor-mal ventila-tion in other portions of the lungs.

5–6 Xenon ventilation mapping by Dual Energy (Fig. 5) in comparison to SPECT (Fig. 6) – both showed a defect corre-sponding to the mass.

1 2

3 4

5 6



Clinical Results Neurology

Case 9SOMATOM Defi nition AS 40: VPCT Pre- and Post-Recanalization of the Internal Carotid ArteryBy PD Georg Mühlenbruch, MD, Prof. Martin Wiesmann, MD

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Aachen, RWTH-Aachen, Germany

HISTORY

An 81-year-old male patient arrived in the emergency room of the university hospital, approximately ½ hour after the onset of acute left hemiparesis. His car-diovascular risk factors included hyper-tension and obesity.

DIAGNOSIS

A non-enhanced sequential CT scan was immediately performed and demon-


strated no evidence of an early ischemia (Fig. 1). The subsequently performed Vol-ume Perfusion CT (VPCT) clearly showed a delayed and reduced blood perfusion in the entire right frontal cerebral circula-tion. The blood volume in the corre-sponding area was maintained with the exception of the right putamen and the right caudate nucleus (Fig. 2). These mis-matched findings indicated an acute reversible ischemia of the subtotal right frontal cerebral circulation. In the area of the right putamen and the right caudate

nucleus, decreased blood volume could be seen, suggesting a partial irreversible impairment. The additionally performed carotid CT Angiography presented a prox-imal occlusion of the right internal carotid artery (ICA) (Fig. 4). A lengthy ICA occlusion was suspected and it was decided to perform an interventional recanalization. A thrombus, which occluded the ICA from its origin to the petrous segment, was mechanically extracted using a 6x30 mm SOLITAIRE retriever. Next, a stent PTA (percutaneous

Neurology Clinical Results

1 Non-enhanced CT image showed no evidence of an early ischemia.

2 VPCT images showed the extent of “tissue at risk” (Fig. 2A), the reduced blood flow (Fig. 2B), the maintained blood volume (Fig. 2C) and the delayed time to peak (Fig. 2D) in the right hemisphere.

1 2A 2B 2C

2D




transluminal angioplasty) using a 7x30 mm Carotid WALLSTENT was performed. The final angiographic control demon-strated a complete recanalization (Fig. 5) with no further occlusion of the intracra-nial cerebral arteries. Immediately after the intervention, a VPCT was repeated and this showed a symmetrical and timely restored cerebral perfusion (Fig. 3). 15 minutes after extubation, the patient was able to move his left side again with-out restrictions. The patient was released 5 days later.

COMMENTS

When an acute stroke occurs, time is brain. As shown in this case, a combina-tion of non-enhanced CT, Perfusion CT and CT Angiography allows quick and comprehensive imaging which supports optimal treatment selection to the benefit of the patient. The non-enhanced CT is primarily applied to rule out hemorrhagic stroke and to detect early signs of isch-emia. The Perfusion CT displays type and extent of the ischemic process as well as the quality of the collateral flow. CT Angi-ography provides information concerning vascular pathology which improves the

3 Follow up VPCT showed the symmetrically and timely restored blood perfusion of the right hemisphere.

3

5 Post stenting angiography demon-strated the re-canalized ICA with residual vasospasm after mechanical thrombectomy.

5

4 VRT fused with Coronal MPR image showed the occluded right ICA.

4 EXAMINATION PROTOCOL

ScannerSOMATOM

Definition AS 40

Scan mode VPCT

Scan area Head

Scan length 56 mm

Scan direction Caudo-cranial

Scan time 53 s

Tube voltage 80 kV




Slice width 10 mm


CTDIvol 74.83 mGy

DLP 2697 mGy cm

Effective dose 5.6 mSv

Contrast

Volume 40 ml contrast

Volume 20 ml NaCl

Flow rate 6 ml/s

planning of potential interventions. The scanning protocols and the evaluation procedures are designed to run automati-cally to facilitate a fast and smooth work-flow.


1 Contrast-enhanced head MRI image revealed bilateral dural thickening.

2 Axial CT image showed bilateral CSF leaks at the cervicothoracic junction extend-ing into the paraspinal (C6–7) soft tissue (arrows).

1

2

Clinical Results Neurology

Case 10Dual Energy CT Myelography Used to Detect Spontaneous Spinal Cerebrospinal Fluid LeaksBy Qiao-wei Zhang, MD, Prof. Shi-zheng Zhang, MD

Department of Radiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Institute of Clinical Medicine of Zhejiang University,Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

HISTORY

A 35-year-old female patient was referred to the Department of Radiology complaining of headaches and neck stiffness for the past 17 days. The head-aches were relatively mild in the supine position and became severe in an upright position. She denied any history of recent trauma and had received two weeks of conservative treatment in the local hospital with no relief. Neurologi-cal exams were normal at admission. Contrast-enhanced cerebral MRI showed bilateral dural thickening (Fig. 1). The lumbar puncture revealed a low cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) pressure of 40 mmH2O in lateral decubitus position. 10 ml Omnipaque (300 mg J/ml) was then injected and a Dual Energy CT myelogra-phy (DECTM) of the entire spine was performed. In accordance with the DECTM results, targeted epidural blood patch followed and the patient was discharged 3 days later with total pain relief.

DIAGNOSIS

The DECTM images showed bilateral CSF leaks at the cervicothoracic junction extending into the paraspinal soft tis-sues. The contrast media and the bones could be easily distinguished by DECT


images. Both the virtual non-contrast (VNC) image and the iodine map were generated to display the precise point of leakage and both showed consistent results.

COMMENTS

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is an increasingly recognized cause in cases of newly occurent, daily persis-tent headaches. This is due to low CSF volume, usually secondary to an occult spinal leak. The most common present-ing symptom is orthostatic headaches. DECTM has been shown to be the method of choice to accurately define the location and extent of the CSF leak. The visual demonstration of DECTM is superior to the traditional CTM and therefore can improve diagnostic confi-dence and better the communication between patients and physicians.



3 CT myelogram demonstrated an extensive retrospinal CSF collection (Fig. 3A, arrows) at the C1–2 level. In 100 kV & 140 kV mixed image, the DECTM iodine map (Fig. 3B), presented clearly the iodine in blue (arrows) and the cortical bone in red. The virtual non-contrast image (Fig. 3C) showed the complete removal of the contrast. Please note that retrospinal fluid collection at the C1–2 level does not necessarily indi-cate the site of the CSF leak but a result of a large-volume CSF leak originating from the lower cervical spine.

4 Cervical CTM images demonstrated the accumulation of extra-arachnoid contrast material along the bilateral root sleeve. In the iodine map image (Fig. 4A), the iodine is marked in blue and the cortical bone in red. In standard VRT reconstruction (Fig. 4B – anterior view and Fig. 4C – posterior view, transparent mode), the iodine leak along the nerve root was shown in 3D with the vertebrae removed.

3A 3B 3C

4A 4B 4C



Scan area Spine Slice collimation 40 x 0.6 mm for thoracic & lumbar segments32 x 0.6 mm for cervical segment

Scan length 221 mm for cervical segment Slice width 1 mm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal Reconstruction increment 0.7 mm

Scan time 10 s Reconstruction kernel D26f

Tube voltage 100 kV / 140 kV Contrast

Tube current 150 mAs / 92 mAs Volume 10 ml

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D Flow rate Manual injection

CTDIvol 12.65 mGy Start delay 30 min

DLP 304 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.5 s

Pitch 0.9



Clinical Results Acute Care

Case 11SOMATOM Defi nition Flash: Low Dose Chest Follow-up Scanning with IRISBy Dany Jasinowodolinski, MD, Arthur Borgonovi, MD

Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil

HISTORY

A 62-year-old female patient, a former smoker with a prior history of coronary artery bypass grafting and a CT exam in 2010, returned to the hospital for a fol-low-up, complaining about anterior chest wall pain adjacent to the surgical scar. Her cardiac status was good, and her physical exam was normal.

DIAGNOSIS

Both CT exams revealed no significant findings, with the exception of a small calcified granuloma in the right upper lung lobe (Fig. 1) which showed no evidence of change in size or density (Fig. 2 and 3).

COMMENTS

The prior exam was performed on a SOMATOM Sensation 64 scanner with a low dose (2.5 mSv) chest protocol. When the follow-up exam was requested, a new SOMATOM Definition Flash Scan-ner equipped with Iterative Reconstruc-tion in Image Space (IRIS) technique was available. A further reduction of the

effective dose down to 1 mSv, while retaining the high image quality for diag-nosis was possible. Furthermore IRIS has an improved signal to noise ratio result-ing in reduced image noise. These findings encouraged a routine implementation of low dose scanning with good image quality in the department.


1 Prior CT exam showed a small calcified granuloma in the right upper lobe (arrow).

1



Acute Care Clinical Results


Scanner SOMATOM Sensation 64 SOMATOM Definition Flash

Scan area Thorax Thorax

Scan length 351 mm 351 mm

Scan direction Caudo-cranial Caudo-cranial

Scan time 6 s 3 s

Tube voltage 120 kV 120 kV

Tube current 58 mAs 27 mAs

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D CARE Dose4D

CTDIvol 4.44 mGy 1.86 mGy

DLP 176 mGy cm 72 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.5 s 0.5 s

Slice collimation 64 x 0.6 mm 128 x 0.6 mm

Slice width 3 mm 1 mm

Reconstruction kernel B60 I50

2 The follow-up CT exam revealed no evidence of change in the small calcified granuloma (arrow).

3 The presentation of 3D image fused with MPR image affirms the results shown in Fig. 2.

2 3



Case 12SOMATOM Defi nition Flash:Metal Artifact Reduction with Mono Energetic Dual Energy Imaging in a Critical Trauma CaseBy Florian Fintelmann, MD, Laura Avery, MD, Rajiv Gupta, MD PhD

Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

HISTORY

A young male arrived in the emergency department with a sudden onset of severe right-sided eye pain while using a weed whacker. A nail was protruding from the right orbit, and CT was ordered to evaluate intracranial injury. Imaging was performed on a 64-slice CT, and sub-sequently on the 2x128-slice Siemens Dual Source CT scanner – the SOMATOM Definition Flash.

DIAGNOSIS

The volume rendered image acquired at 120 kV on a conventional CT demon-strated a nail lodged in the inferior/medial right orbit, penetrating the right lamina papyracea and extending through the right ethmoid air cells into the left sphenoid sinus. However, the relation-ship of the nail to the optic nerve and the internal carotid artery was unclear due to extensive streak artifact surrounding the tip of the nail (Fig. 1). Mono energetic CT image at 190 keV (Fig. 2) demonstrated that the tip of the nail terminated inferior to the left optic groove (solid arrow) and abut the left anterior clinoid process supe-rior to the internal carotid artery (dashed arrow). No intracranial hemorrhage was seen.

COMMENTS

Dual Energy CT allows the simulation of high-kV mono energetic images. In our case, the monochromatic CT image was derived from a Dual Energy acquisition with tube A at 80 kV and tube B at 140 kV. The advantage lies in the reduction of streak artifacts surrounding metallic for-eign bodies. Our patient was spared open surgery, once injury to optic nerve and

internal carotid artery had been ruled out. In summary, Dual Energy CT is help-ful in delineating the exact relationship of metallic foreign bodies to vital struc-tures.




Scan area DE Head

Scan length 191 mm


Scan time 8 s

Tube voltage A/B 80 kV / 140 kV

Tube current 400 eff. mAs / 200 eff. mAs


CTDIvol 34.65 mGy

DLP 718 mGy cm

Rotation time 0.5 s


Slice width 1 mm

Reconstruction kernel D45f

Postprocessing syngo Dual Energy




1 MPR (Fig. 1A) and VRT images (Fig. 1B) from conventional CT scanning show extensive metal artifacts along the course and surrounding the tip of the nail.

1A 1B

2 Mono energetic images acquired by Dual Energy scanning (Fig. 2A MPR and Fig. 2B VRT) with significantly reduced metal artifacts demon-strate clearly that the tip of the nail terminates inferior to the left optic groove (solid arrow) and abuts the left anterior clinoid process superior to the internal carotid artery (dashed arrow).

2A 2B



Case 13Flash CT Pulmonary Angiography in a Freely Breathing PatientBy Ralf W. Bauer, MD, Martin Beeres, MD, Boris Schell, MD, Prof. Thomas J. Vogl, MD, J. Matthias Kerl, MD

Clinic of the Goethe University, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

HISTORY

A 58-year-old female patient with dys-pnea, deep vein thrombosis and signs of right heart strain in echocardiography, was referred to CT pulmonary angiogra-phy (CTPA) with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). CTPA was conducted in Dual Source high-pitch mode without the use of a breathing command and with only 40 ml of contrast medium.

DIAGNOSIS

The CT pulmonary angiography showed a partially occlusive massive bilateral pulmonary embolism and signs of right heart strain. Consolidations in the upper left lobe, as indicative for an infarct pneu-monia, were present. The high-pitch mode enabled motion-free imaging of

the pulmonary structures, even while the patient was breathing. No double contours of the diaphragm or pulmonary vessels were seen. The pulmonary arter-ies showed excellent enhancement to the periphery, at 100 kV with an effective dose of as low as 1.96 mSv.

COMMENTS

During CTPA, regular Single Source CT scanners require at least a short period of breath-hold to ensure motion-free imag-ing of the pulmonary anatomy. However, breath-hold is associated with changes in hemodynamics of the intrathoracic venous system induced by Valsalva’s maneuver. Despite adequate bolus timing, this may lead to a loss of contrast enhancement

within the pulmonary arteries even though the aorta is perfectly enhanced and contrast medium is still flowing in through the superior vena cava. As shown in the present case, with a pitch of 3.0, patient motion can be virtually frozen. This allows CTPA to be performed in a freely breathing patient and, avoids breath-hold induced interruptions of the contrast column. Further, this technique allows the use of significantly lower amounts of contrast medium. Where usu-ally 80–120 ml are necessary for CTPAs, for this scan, excellent PA enhancement with only 40 ml was achieved. This is pos-sible due to the fact that a snapshot of the pulmonary arteries is virtually made at the moment of maximum enhance-ment using the Flash mode.


1 Bilateral severe emboli can be shown in para-cor-onal VRT.

2 Bilat-eral severe emboli can be shown in coronal MIP as well.

1 2




4 An enlarged right ventricle and atrium with clearly definable AV valves can be revealed (RV/LV ratio of 1.2).

2A

3 With opti-mal bolus tim-ing, excellent contrast enhancement can be shown in the pulmo-nary arteries: note almost contrast-free aorta.

6 Coronal ref-ormation at the same level as in Fig. 5 but in venous phase in inspi-ratory breath hold: Note comparable image quality.

5 Coronal reformation of CTPA in lung window: note motion-free delineation of the diaphragm, pulmonary vessels and infarction in the left upper lobe, although the patient was breathing.

3 4

5 6



Scan area Thorax Pitch 3.0

Scan length 273 mm Slice collimation 128 x 0.6 mm

Scan direction Cranio-caudal Slice width 1.0 mm

Scan time 0.68 s Reconstruction increment 0.5 mm

Tube voltage 100 kV Reconstruction kernel B26f

Tube current 180 reference mAs Contrast

Dose modulation CARE Dose4D Volume 40 ml

CTDIvol 4.06 mGy Flow rate 4 ml/s

DLP 140 mGy cm Start delay bolus tracking



Science

The First Single Source Dual Energy Scan Mode with Optimized DoseWhen the SOMATOM Defi nition was introduced in 2005, Siemens Healthcare Computed Tomography unveiled the concept of Dual Energy, based on unique Dual Source Technology. Since then, attempts have been made to utilize Dual Energy in Single Source CT, but due to technical limitations they were never suitable for clinical practice, mainly due to unreasonably high dose. Siemens now tackles this with the SOMATOM Defi nition Edge.1

By Jan Freund, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Dual Energy has opened the door to a new world of characterization, visualiz-ing the chemical composition of mate-rial. In a Dual Energy CT scan, the region of interest is acquired at two different energy (or kV) levels to combine further tissue information with morphology data. The selected kV value determines the average energy level of the photons in the X-ray beam used for the examina-tion. Changing the tube voltage alters the photon energy level and the attenu-ation of the X-ray beam in the scanned tissue.Dual Energy CT exploits this effect: Scan-ning the same region at two different voltages delivers two datasets showing different attenuation levels. Depending on the clinical question, these datasets are processed using specific software algorithms in the syngo® Dual Energy application. In the resulting images, the difference in attenuation between mate-rials can be used to classify the chemical composition of the scanned tissue.However, to produce a final Dual Energy image, the two datasets must be ana-tomically aligned. Dual Source images can easily be aligned for the final images, as both images are scanned at the same time and anatomical position. Aligning


1 Single Source Dual Energy scan reveals the chemical composition of a kidney stone.

1



Science

single source scans is much more com-plicated, and despite efforts to solve this problem, technical limitations have pre-vented potential solutions from being used in clinical practice.One suggestion for solving the difficul-ties of aligning single source images is to acquire two different energy levels by changing the tube voltage several times during one rotation. This approach comes with several drawbacks. Firstly, only half the number of projections or fewer is available for each image. Sec-ondly, this approach is only feasible at very slow rotation speeds. These two restrictions significantly reduce image quality. Finally, the most crucial limita-tion is that rapidly changing the tube voltage requires setting the current to a fixed value. And to penetrate large body regions this value has to be very high. This exposes patients to a higher dose than necessary and is contrary to the “ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achiev-able) principle. Siemens has never per-ceived fast kV-switching as a potential solution due to the high dose associated with it.

A new dose optimized technique in Single Source Dual Energy scanningDespite such challenges, Siemens now introduces a dose-optimized Single Source Dual Energy scan mode with the SOMATOM Definition Edge, finally mak-ing this technology accessible for a larger number of institutions. This scan mode consists of two consecutive spiral scans, each acquiring a different energy level. A scan range of 30 centimeters can be covered with both energy levels in 15 seconds. The first spiral scan is car-ried out with a pitch of 0.6, followed immediately by a spiral scan with a pitch of 1.2 at the second energy level. Both

datasets are perfectly aligned using a dedicated non-rigid image registration method. To avoid doubling the dose administered to the patient, the spirals are set at approximately half of the total value. Both spirals combined produce the necessary signal level to deliver a diagnostic Dual Energy image. With this Single Source Dual Energy scan mode, the entire range of dose-saving tech-niques can be applied, including modu-lating the tube current in real time using CARE Dose4D™, and reducing image noise and accordingly, radiation dose, with SAFIRE.2

The image quality of the new Single Source Dual Energy scan mode delivers impressive results: A scientific study pre-sented at this year’s RSNA demonstrates that the image quality of Single Source CT scans for kidney stone evaluation was considered similar to that of the Dual Source scans for all patients.[1] As the study was performed using a SOMATOM Definition AS+, not only the SOMATOM Definition Edge benefits from the new scan mode; the entire SOMATOM Defini-tion AS Family can access this innovative examination method.

The Stellar Detector detects very low signalsUnique to the SOMATOM Definition Edge, the Stellar Detector1 provides an exclusive benefit: Its revolutionary TrueSignal Technology is designed to minimize electronic noise with the first fully-integrated detector elements in the industry. This makes the detector espe-cially suitable for low-signal imaging, as the signal-to-noise ratio is significantly increased. With both spiral sets at much lower dose levels than regular spirals, this is of even greater importance, as it increases the ability of the CT scanner to detect very low signals. The Stellar

Detector covers an extended dynamic range. This new feature is called HiDynamics. It is designed to increase the sensitivity of the detector for visual-izing finer structures especially for the low kV dataset.The first Single Source Dual Energy applications that will be available are syngo.CT DE Calculi Characterization, syngo.DE Gout and syngo.DE Monoener-getic2. The characterization of kidney stones with syngo.CT DE Calculi Charac-terization is a good example of how tissue characterization can support phy-sicians in determining appropriate treat-ment. Depending on the type of kidney stone, treatment can vary from medica-tion only to an invasive procedure. A Dual Energy scan can add the tissue information to the morphology to aid this decision process. Gout is the most widespread form of crystal arthropathy and a common inflammatory joint dis-ease. But diagnosis can prove difficult as there are various forms of arthritis with similar symptoms. Using syngo.DE Gout, the disease can be detected in regions that are often overlooked and distin-guished from similar illnesses. Finally, syngo.DE Monoenergetic reconstructs images as if they were acquired at a specific energy level between 40 keV and 190 keV. This means that radiolo-gists can reduce metal artifacts, such as clamps in spine images. Single Source Dual Energy is available for the SOMATOM Definition AS family and will be available for SOMATOM Definition Edge with its release in mid- 2012. References

[1] Leng S, et al. Renal Stone Composition Differen-tiation using Two Consecutive CT Scans and a Non-Rigid Registration Algorithm (abstr). In: Radiological Society of North America scientific assembly and annual meeting program. Oak Brook, Ill: Radiological Society of North America, 2011

1 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.2 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S.


Science

iTRIM – a New Method for Improving Temporal Resolution in Cardiac Computed TomographyIterative techniques can be used to increase temporal resolution, a key parameter in cardiac imaging. On Siemens’ SOMATOM Perspective,1 iTRIM is used to obtain an effective temporal resolution as low as 195 milliseconds.

By Harald Schöndube, PhD*, Sebastian Vogt, PhD**, Thomas Allmendinger, PhD*, Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD*

*Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany**Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Malvern, PA, USA

High temporal resolution is one of the most important parameters in cardiac imaging. Utilizing conventional cardiac image reconstruction algorithms, the highest achievable temporal resolution in the isocenter of a CT image is deter-mined by the time the scanner needs to acquire 180º of CT projections,[1] i.e. a half-rotation of a single source scanner. High-end Single Source CT scanners thus owe their good cardiac imaging perfor-mance and high temporal resolution to


sophisticated and expensive scanner hardware that allows the acquisition system to be rotated faster.As an alternative to sophisticated hard-ware designs, image reconstruction algorithms can be used to improve tem-poral resolution. A long-known method of improving the temporal resolution in slower scanners is multi-segment image reconstruction, utilizing data from more than one cardiac cycle. Taking data from up to two heart beats (bi-segment

approaches) is still a reasonable option for improving temporal resolution. For multi-segment approaches that use data from more than two heart cycles, the disadvantages clearly outweigh the ben-efits. Disadvantages are a sub-optimum dose efficiency, higher overall scan times, and unreliable performance, since even slight motion irregularities between heartbeats can cause image artifacts. Siemens has therefore developed iTRIM (Iterative Temporal Resolution Improve-

1 For each image pixel, a local histogram is generated, which is virtually unaffected by the presence of motion artifacts and which functions as a con-straint during the iterations in iTRIM.

N

HU–1000 0

1



Science

ment Method), which is designed to fur-ther reduce the temporal resolution of cardiac CT images on systems not offering the highest possible rotation speeds.[4] This novel iterative image reconstruction algorithm improves the temporal resolution by 20%, effectively reducing motion artifacts in CT images while maintaining a very good overall image quality and low image noise. iTRIM is based on the observation that the presence of motion artifacts does not significantly change the histogram of a CT image. This information is used to reconstruct an image from less than half a turn of data.[2] First, a partial car-diac scan is performed with weighted filtered back projection (WFBP), resulting in a temporal resolution equivalent to 180º of CT data. For each pixel, the sys-tem then computes a histogram within a quadratic region centered on the pixel, as shown in Fig. 1. An iterative recon-struction algorithm is then started, using only a subset of the full 180° cardiac dataset. The size of this subset (e.g. 140°) is adapted to the target temporal resolution. In order to expedite conver-gence, a normal WFBP image is used as a start image for this iterative algorithm. The iterative loop then consists of two steps: Firstly, the image is updated with the projection data subset defined above using the SART (Simultaneous Algebraic Reconstruction Technique) iterative reconstruction framework.[3] After each SART iteration, an additional step is per-formed in which the HU value of each pixel is adjusted according to the respec-tive histogram of the lower temporal resolution image: Pixels with an HU value close to a maximum of the histo-gram are left unchanged. Pixels with an HU value far from any maximum are adjusted slightly towards the closest maximum. After the iteration has finished, a motion detection technique is used in the final step. The iTRIM image from the final iter-ation of the iterative reconstruction is combined with the conventional 180º WFBP image. In regions that exhibit motion, the iTRIM image is used as the final image, whereas in static regions the WFBP image is used.

Fig. 2 shows image examples of a car-diac dataset, reconstructed with the typ-ical cardiac WFBP, in direct comparison to an iTRIM reconstruction of the same dataset. The reduction in motion artifacts using the iTRIM algorithm is clearly visi-ble, while maintaining the same noise level and overall image quality (Fig. 2). As scientifically validated,[4] the temporal resolution of the iTRIM reconstruction technique can enhance the temporal res-olution by 20%. On Siemens’ SOMATOM Perspective1 with a rotation time of 480 ms, this yields an equivalent rota-tion speed of 390 ms and an effective temporal resolution of 195 ms, far superior to the temporal resolution of 240 ms of the corresponding standard cardiac WFBP reconstruction.In summary, iTRIM is designed to improve image quality in cardiac imag-

References

[1] Ohnesorge B et al. Multi-slice and Dual-source CT in Cardiac Imaging, Springer Verlag, Berlin, second ed. (2007).

[2] Kunze H et al. Iterative extended field of view reconstruction, in Medical Imaging: Physics of Medical Imaging, Hsieh J and Flynn M J (eds.), Proc. SPIE 6510(1), 65105X (2007).

[3] Kak, AC and Slaney M Principles of Computer-ized Tomographic Imaging, IEEE Press (1998), (http://www.slaney.org/pct/pct-toc.html).

[4] Schöndube H et al. Evaluation of a novel CT image reconstruction algorithm with enhanced temporal resolution, Proc. SPIE 7961, 79611N (2011).

2 Axial images using conventional cardiac WFBP (left column) and iTRIM (right column). The effective temporal resolution is increased by 20%, completely eliminating motion artifacts in the right coronary artery.[4] Raw dataset courtesy of Shanghai Jiangong Hospital, Shang-hai, People’s Republic of China

ing for systems not offering the highest rotation speeds by providing a superior temporal resolution compared to con-ventionally reconstructed CT images, while maintaining the same overall image impression.

WFBP iTRIM

2A

2B

2C

2D

1 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S.


Science

Siemens has continually evolved its technology for the most critical compo-nents in the CT scanner, including the X-ray tube, detector array and efficient image reconstruction algorithms. Back in 2002, Siemens introduced a revolu-tionary concept for a new X-ray tube. The STRATON® tube’s compact design led to the development of fast rotation speeds and Dual Source Technology. STRATON X-ray tubes have a high power output, small focal spot sizes and virtu-ally no cooling delays, thanks to unique technology that cools the anode directly. Siemens has also improved its image reconstruction methods continuously. While other vendors still use single-slice techniques which require compromises between image quality and speed, Siemens has developed SureViewTM for the first generation of multi-slice detec-

tors, offering optimal dose utilization and excellent image quality at arbitrary pitch values. Such extensive research and development has fueled the latest generation of iterative reconstruction approaches, which include IRIS, and SAFIRE1 – Siemens´ raw-data-based iterative reconstruction application avail-able commercially.

High absorption, fast decay and low afterglowCT scanner detectors convert the attenu-ated X-ray beam into a digital signal that can be processed by computers. To achieve very high dose efficiency, the detector’s capacity for X-ray absorption must be as high as possible. After decades of using Xenon gas detectors in CT, Siemens introduced the first solid-state detector in 1999 (Fig. 1). Based on

Stellar Detector Performance in Computed TomographyThe fi rst fully-integrated detector in the CT industry sets a new reference in image quality with HiDynamics, TrueSignal and Ultra Fast Ceramics.

By Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD, Siemens Healthcare, Computed Tomography, Forchheim, Germany

the proprietary scintillator material, Ultra Fast Ceramics (UFC™), the detector offered high X-ray absorption, short decay times, and extremely low after-glow. The UFC layer used in Siemens CT scanners converts almost 100% of the X-rays into visible light, whereas Xenon detectors can only convert between 60% and 90% of the X-ray into a usable sig-nal. A direct comparison of Xenon detec-tors and UFC-based detectors indicated an increase of 23% in dose efficiency.[1] Decay time and afterglow are two other important properties of scintillator materials that characterize the light out-put of the scintillator after the X-rays are switched off. Decay refers to the short-term behavior of the signal directly after the X-ray is switched off and afterglow is the longer-term composition of the signal output due to luminescence. UFC

Det

ecto

r pe

rfor

man

ce

100%

Time

■ Siemens Xenon

■ Siemens UFC

■ Vendor A Xenon

■ Vendor A Scintillator I

■ Vendor A Scintillator II

Gas

1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation

Solid State

Full electronicintegration

?■

Siemens Stellar Detector

1 First generation detectors still used Xenon gas under high pressure to convert the incom-ing X-rays into electric current. Second-generation detectors use solid-state ceramic scintil-lators to convert X-rays into light, photodiodes to convert the light into current, and analog-to-digital converters (ADC) to digitize the signal. The Stellar Detector2 is the first third-generation detector that combines the photodiode and the ADC in one Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), dramatically reducing electronic noise, power con-sumption, and heat dissipation.

1

1 The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product requires 510(k) review and is not commercially available in the U.S.2 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S.


Science

has set an industry standard with a con-sistent decay time of 2.5 microseconds, and an afterglow below 10-4 after 1 mil-lisecond and 10-5 after 10 milliseconds. Until recently, other vendors still had to use afterglow correction mechanisms[2] since long decay time and high after-glow can completely ruin spatial resolu-tion. Siemens has continued this trend of innovation by developing the first fully-integrated detector, which is designed to dramatically reduce elec-tronic noise, extend the dynamic range and increase spatial resolution in combi-nation with new reconstruction meth-ods.

Revolutionary new detector designDetector performance is not only mea-sured by fast and high X-ray absorption, short decay times, and low afterglow; low electronic noise levels and a high dynamic range are also key to designing effective detectors. With the new Stellar Detector,2 Siemens is pioneering the first fully-integrated CT detector. Conventional solid-state detectors consist of a scintilla-tor layer that converts the incoming X-rays into visible light, a photodiode array that converts the visible light into an electric current and an analog-to-digi-tal converter (ADC) which digitizes the signal on a separate electronic board (Fig. 2). The number of electronic com-ponents and relatively long conducting paths increase power consumption, and

2 Prototype configuration of a second-generation detector module includes anti-scatter collimator, scintillator layer, photodiode array and a separate electronic board with ADCs.

2

Light

SiO2

Back-illuminated photodiode

SiO2

CMOS wafer (ADC)

Stud bump

Ceramics substrate

Thro

ugh

-sili

con

via

Fully digital signal (20 bit) 10110100101010101110

3 Schematic drawing shows the configuration of the new Stellar Detector. The light from the UFC scintillator reaches the back-illuminated pho-todiode on top of the CMOS wafer that contains the ADC. The digital signal is then produced on the other side of the wafer (Fig. 3A). A picture of the compact Stellar Detector array with the ADC positioned entirely underneath the photodiode array (Fig. 3B).

3A 3B

add to the electronic noise produced by the detector. In the Stellar Detector, Siemens has combined the photodiode and the ADC in one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for the first time in the history of CT, reducing the path of the signal. Fig. 3A shows a schematic of the new Stellar Detector configuration. The light from the UFC scintillator reaches the back-illuminated photodiode on top of the CMOS wafer, which houses the ADC. A digital signal is then produced on the other side of the wafer. This geometry consists of a 3D package of electronic circuits in a through-silicon via (TSV); a high perfor-mance technique for creating vertical connections that pass completely

through the silicon wafer. Fig. 3B shows the complete configuration of the compact Stellar Detector array with the ADC positioned entirely underneath the photodiode array. This small module replaces all the boards and electronic components shown in Fig. 2.Stellar Detectors transfer the digitized signal without any losses and the elec-tronic noise produced by the detector is reduced by a factor of two (TrueSignal Technology). The new ASIC consumes 85% less power and dissipates less heat, further reducing electronic noise. Fig. 4 shows the reduced noise produced by the new Stellar Detector compared to a conventional second-generation detector.



Low electronic noise and high dynamicsIn clinical CT, the attenuation of the mea-sured object varies dramatically and so do the signal levels at the detector. The dynamic range describes the range of the input signal levels that can be reliably mea-sured simultaneously without saturation.2 HiDynamics has an exceptionally high dynamic range of 120 dB, 15% more than conventional detector systems, eliminating the need to modify amplification and avoiding detector saturation. Combined with the noise reduction provided by TrueSignal, Stellar Detectors can measure smaller signals over a wider dynamic range which directly enhances CT image quality (Fig. 5). Applications with extremely low signal levels at the detector benefit espe-cially from HiDynamics and True Signal, such as scanning large patients and low-dose scans, as well as the low-kV datasets of Dual Energy examinations.

Model-based and detector- optimized reconstructionWith SAFIRE1 (Sinogram Affirmed Itera-tive Reconstruction), Siemens introduced the first model-based and raw data-based iterative reconstruction application capa-ble of reducing noise and artifacts, suited for a broad range of applications in clini-cal routine. SAFIRE can thus model the Stellar Detector precisely, including the cross talk between detector elements, detector aperture, detector grid, and the focal spot of the STRATON X-ray tube, reconstructing true 0.5 mm slices and unmatched spatial resolution in routine clinical protocols with excellent dose effi-ciency (Fig. 6).

SOMATOM Defi nition Edge3 and SOMATOM Defi nition Flash4 now equipped with next-genera-tion detector technologySiemens high-end scanners are now equipped with the latest Stellar Detector1 in Single Source and Dual Source configu-rations.

6 A foot has been scanned and reconstructed with conventional technology (Fig. 6A) and Stellar technology with optimized SAFIRE model-based reconstruction (Fig. 6B).

6A 6B

5 Simulation of a hip phantom with resolution insert, conventional detector technology and the new Stellar Detector. Using conventional technology, low signal levels in projections with high attenuation cause streak noise patterns in clinical images (left). With the Stellar Detector and TrueSignal Technology these unwanted noise patterns are eliminated (right).

5A 5B

4 Reduced noise of the new Stellar Detector3 measured with a 40 cm water phantom and compared to a conventional second-generation detector. Stellar produces almost no electronic noise (green line), benefiting low dose applications and large patient scans where signals are very low.

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Detector Noise Measured in a 40 cm Water Phantom

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Ideal detector without any electronic noise

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References

[1] Fuchs TOJ et al. Direct comparison of a xenon and a solid-state CT detector system: measurements under working conditions. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2000 Sep;19(9):941-8.

[2] Hsieh J, Gurmen OE, King KF. Investigation of a solid-state detector for advanced computed tomography. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2000 Sep;19(9):930-40.

Science



2 Data on file. 3 Under development. Not available for sale in the U.S. 4 Under FDA review. Not available for sale in the U.S.


Science


Pediatric Imaging in the SpotlightIn May 2011, more than 1000 delegates attended IPR, the “International Paediatric Radiology Congress”. Siemens Computed Tomography highlighted the latest innovations for individualized patient care, which were very well received by the community.

By Heidrun Endt, MD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany.

Societies focusing on pediatric radiol-ogy joined to organize the IPR 2011 in London. Experts from all over the world attended to present and discuss the lat-est research results in the field. The con-gress addressed all modalities relevant to pediatric radiology, so computed tomog-raphy was also part of the program.Studies carried out on SOMATOM scan-ners were covered in the scientific sessions, and in addition, Siemens CT presented its product portfolio on the exhibition floor, where visitors could view the latest technologies leading to individualized dose management for every patient. During the Siemens sym-posium “SOMATOM Definition Flash: changing paradigms in pediatric CT imaging”, three experts in the field of pediatric radiology reported on how these technologies are applied in their respective institutions.

High-pitch CT Angiography in childrenChildren with congenital heart disease were examined at the Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minnesota, USA, Kelly Han, MD, demonstrated how the high-pitch mode of the SOMATOM Definition Flash eliminates the need for general anesthe-sia for most of the patients, and how the dose can be lowered in these examina-tions. One study[1] about the results has already been published, and further studies will follow. In addition, a very interesting collection of cases was pre-sented showing different anomalies and pathologies.

CARE kV and CARE Child Marilyn Siegel, MD, from the Mallinck-rodt Institute of Radiology USA, sup-ported the clinical evaluation phase of CARE kV and CARE Child, the latest fea-tures contributing to dose reduction in pediatric CT imaging. In her presenta-tion, she provided in-depth technical background information about the adjustment of tube voltage[2] and how CARE kV leads to optimized tube voltage settings for each examination, taking the individual patient and the clinical task into consideration. CT images from various cases were shown, proving the benefit that the technologies bring.

CARE Child and Flash Spiral CT imagingThe Radiology Department of the Uni-versity Hospital Erlangen, Germany, was also one of the first institutions to have access to the latest technologies. Michael Lell, MD, presented cases scanned with a tube voltage setting of 70 kV, which is now possible with CARE Child. In addi-tion, he shared his experiences with the high-pitch mode: results of a study[3] were presented in which even the youngest patients could be scanned without seda-tion or breath-hold. Information about the workflow, scan parameter settings, and contrast media protocols provided a best-practice reference for this scan mode. The symposium was very well received, and the three presentations clearly showed that these new technolo-gies can benefit the youngest patients in clinical routine.

www.ipr2011.org/

Kelly Han,MD, Marylin Siegel,MD, and Michael Lell, MD, (from left to right) presented their experiences with the SOMATOM Definition Flash in pediatric CT imaging during the Siemens symposium at IPR.

Marylin Siegel, MD, gave insight into CARE kV and how the technology is applied in her institution.

References

[1] Han BK et al. Accuracy and safety of high-pitch computed tomography imaging in young chil-dren with complex congenital heart disease. Am J Cardiol. 2011 May 15;107(10):1541-6.

[2] Siegel MJ et al. Radiation dose and image qual-ity in pediatric CT: effect of technical factors and phantom size and shape. Radiology. 2004 Nov;233(2):515-22.

[3] Lell MM et al. High-pitch spiral computed tomography: effect on image quality and radia-tion dose in pediatric chest computed tomogra-phy. Invest Radiol. 2011 Feb;46(2):116-23.


In China, the healthcare system is rapidly developing and high-end CT systems are already commonplace. At the same time, Chinese radiologists are entering the research arena with enthusiasm, innova-tions and impressive results. Seven years ago, Siemens founded a dedicated team to support CT research in China. This global CT research collaboration team offers the Chinese partners direct access to the technical knowledge, education, and advice from leading international researchers that Chinese radiologists need to meet their scientific goals. An excellent example for this interna-tional clinical research collaboration is a current project between the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and the University Medical Center Mannheim. The Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, which

From Mannheim to Shanghai: a Viable Model for Future International Research CollaborationsAs China’s scientifi c community strives for more international participation, Siemens Healthcare is looking at the emerging possibilities for cross-boarder collaborations between top institutes.

By Bo Liu, PhD*, Christianne Leidecker, PhD**, Ulrike Haberland**

*Healthcare Sector, Siemens Ltd. China, Shanghai, China**Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

is affiliated to the Tongji University Medical School, is a famous hospital ded-icated to lung disease. It has over 1000 inpatient beds, and annually they treat more than 20,000 new lung cancer patients. Jingyun Shi, MD, the vice presi-dent of the radiology department of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, planned for years to be able to employ the latest imaging technology for diagnosing patients with lung cancer. CT perfusion examinations promise to improve biolog-ical tumor characterization and therefore allow patients with lung cancer to be treated on an individual basis in the era of personalized medicine. In 2010 the hospital purchased the new SOMATOM Definition AS+ with the capa-bility for whole tumor perfusion using Adaptive 4D Spiral Technology. With the

initiation of a research collaboration between the University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, and Tongji University’s Shanghai Pulmonary

1A 1B 1C

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“The global research collabora-tion gives us great opportunity to work with top research scientists and radiologists in the world, which enables us to exchange new ideas. This col-laboration not only benefits the research in China, but also gives us more confidence in solving clinical problems.”

Prof. Jingyun Shi, MD, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai, China




Hospital in the field of thoracic oncology. Prof. Shi was able to get in contact with colleagues from the University Medical Center Mannheim during a scientific meeting organized by both institutions in Shanghai.Professor Christian Fink, MD, associate chair and section chief of cardiothoracic imaging of the Institute of Clinical Radi-ology and Nuclear Medicine at the Uni-versity Medical Center Mannheim and his colleague Thomas Henzler, MD, both experienced chest radiologists and researchers, realized the value of collab-oration with the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. They were not only able to transfer their experience to an emerging scientific community in China, but also expand the current knowledge of lung cancer perfusion CT from small feasibility studies to a high volume clinical study. The latter may finally prove the clinical impact of this technique for diagnosing patients with lung cancer. The protocol of the collaborative research project was finalized with the help of local Siemens support at both ends of the collabora-

tion. This included organizing the recruit-ment of local patients, scanning proto-col, contrast media application protocol, patient consent, institutional review board approval and data collection by Prof. Shi with the help of the local CT collaboration scientist, Liu Bo, PhD, Siemens Ltd. China. A dedicated CT tech-nician was assigned to run the research protocol on every patient recruited to ensure data consistency. With the bulk of the study design and preparations taken care of remotely, the next phase was to plan the first patient exams. For this, the whole group met in Shanghai for further optimization of the protocol ini-tial patient examinations of the clinical study. The result of the detailed preparation of the project from Mannheim and Shang-hai resulted in a very successful start to the project. From March to August 2011, Prof. Shi had already collected CT perfu-sion data of over 200 patients with lung cancer for the study. After another inter-national scientific meeting on lung can-cer in Shanghai in September 2011, Prof.

Project meeting at the University Medical Center Mannheim, GermanyFrom left to right: Prof. Jingyun Shi, MD, Prof. Christian Fink, MD, Thomas Henzler, MD

1D 1E1 Fig. 1A: Patient’s topogram. Fig. 1B: Maximum intensity projection (MIP) of the upper thorax. The tumor volume is delineated in green, and the arterial region of interest in red. In the lower right segment the respective time attenuation curves are shown in white (mean tumor enhancement) and red (arterial input function).Figs. 1C–1E: Whole tumor perfusion image of the flow-extraction product (permeability) fused with the MIP in axial, sagittal, and coronal view.

“By initiating the cooperation between Mannheim, Shanghai and Siemens we all went beyond borders on a scientific and personal level. Bringing together highly motivated researchers from China, high volume data from a large spe-cialized hospital for pulmonary diseases, the latest scanner technology, and European research experience provides new opportunities for radiol-ogy research worldwide.”

Thomas Henzler, MD, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

“We see this project with Shang -hai Pulmonary Hospital as a role model for future research collaborations in a globalized world. Gaining further insights of the clinical value of perfusion CT only is possible with evi-dence from large volume stud-ies, which could not have been achieved this way in Europe.”

Prof. Christian Fink, MD, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

Shi will spend six months at the Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medi-cine of the University Medical Center Mannheim to analyze the data with sup-port from Fink and Henzler and prepare a scientific publication which is aimed for release in 2012.


70 SOMATOM Sessions · November 2010 · www.siemens.com/healthcare-magazine70 SOMATOM Sessions · November 2011 · www.siemens.com/healthcare-magazine

Walter Märzendorfer, CEO, Busniness Unit CR, opened the 10th World Summit.

The great number of physicians partici-pating in the summit in Hong Kong made the event the largest CT customer event in Siemens medical imaging history.Hong Kong – one of Asia’s most progres-sive and inspirational cities – was selected for the venue and it was the first time the summit was held in Asia. In retrospect, it is not difficult to explain that this sudden surge of interest was caused by the number of exciting new

Customer Excellence

products, such as SAFIRE1, FAST CARE (including CARE kV, CARE Child) and the already well established high-end scan-ners, (SOMATOM® Definition Flash and SOMATOM Definition AS+) introduced by Siemens in the last years.In short, there was enthusiasm and an aura of success about the bi-annual, tenth SOMATOM Summit, even before the event began. This “aura” continued throughout the entire event as witnessed

from the positive comments of all partic-ipants. During the whole term of the summit, participants seized the chance to meet colleagues, to exchange opin-ions and experiences, and to socialize and network. The meeting was partly sponsored by Bayer Healthcare Pharma-ceuticals reflecting the importance of contrast media for optimum diagnostic confidence.

An Aura of Success:The 10th SOMATOM World SummitTo honor the tenth SOMATOM World Summit, 400 visitors participated in a special anniversary event for sharing the latest medical and technical developments, and networking with other healthcare professionals.

By Tony de Lisa



problems such as pediatric examinations and low-dose scanning in general. The following statement by Peter Schramm, MD, chief radiologist at the University of Göttingen Clinic, Göttingen, Germany, is typical of comments received: “The SOMATOM World Summit is an outstanding and unequaled meet-ing where leading CT experts and users share their experiences. Participants learned about modern CT imaging tech-niques and optimized workflows for diagnostic excellence and patient safety.”Last, but certainly not least, is the question of feedback from the custom-ers to Siemens. A significant amount of Siemens’ success in the medical imaging field has always been due to the fact that Siemens listens and is serious about feedback from practicing radiologists and other medical specialists in the field. And the 400-plus attendees to the 10th SOMATOM World Summit were not sparing with their suggestions. Nothing is so good that it cannot be improved upon and this seemed to be the attitude of those present. Suggestions ranged from performance improvements to ideas for the next summit – due in two years – indicating that many of those present intended to visit the next sum-mit as well.Peter Seitz, Head of Marketing, Com-puted Tomography, and Axel Lorz, Head of Customer Excellence, Computed Tomography, are convinced of the suc-cess of the event: “We hope and expect that the summit inspires our customers to even further efforts to serve our patients healthcare needs. We are convinced, however, that not only our customers have profited from the summit, but also Siemens employees returned home with a great gain of knowledge and valuable customer feedback.”

At the beginning, Walter Märzendorfer, CEO, Business Unit, CR, gave a short, inspiring speech, setting the tone and tempo for the activities immediately fol-lowing. The actual working sessions cov-ered the following subjects in two days:1. Low dose imaging2. Pediatrics3. Oncology4. Therapy5. Acute Care6. Cardiology7. Dose and Contrast Media8. Neuro9. Functional imagingThe latest medical and technical status of these themes was analyzed, explained and discussed by three to five experts experienced and competent in a sub-divi-sion of the main subject. Then the floor was opened to a panel discussion that could be joined by all persons present. These panel discussions were actually question and answer sessions making for an efficient networking forum unequaled in the CT world. All participants found it highly interesting and helpful to know how radiologists from around the world handle their daily routine and, more par-ticularly, how they approach and solve

Customer Excellence

Martine Remy-Jardin, MD, PhD, Head of Depart-ment of Thoracic Imaging of University Hospital Lille, Cedex Lille, France, talked about Iterative Reconstruction and tube voltage adaptation in thoracic imaging to an interested audience.

The get together took place over the roofs of Hong Kong.


Joon Beom Seo, Associate Professor at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea talked about diagnosing of pulmonary embolism with CT using Dual Energy.

Tony de Lisa is an external writer and based in Nuremberg, Germany


From January 11–14, 2012, the 7th Inter-national Symposium for Multislice CT will take place in Garmisch, Germany. More than 1300 participants are expected to attend the congress, to be held in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Congress House. Since the last CT Symposium two years ago, where 1200 participants from eight countries were in attendance, great steps in the technological development of computed tomography have led to signif-icant advances in its diagnostic capabili-ties. And CT users have also realized that methodical enhancements need to have clear and measureable advantages. The congress program includes interesting talks in which technical innovations, diagnostic advancements, and opportu-nities to use MDCT in interventional radiology will be discussed. As always, the focus is on the patient. Scientifically- based and practical high-level training is the motto of the conference in Gar-misch, so excellent speakers will be pre-

During the European Society of Cardiol-ogy (ESC) 2011, customers were able to join clinical hands-on workshops for computed tomography, magnetic reso-nance, angiography and ultrasound.Each of the sixteen sessions was fully-booked, providing 560 participants the opportunity to learn about and experience new developments in cardiac imaging.Tobias Pflederer, MD from the University of Erlangen, Germany, gave a talk on Cardiac CT Angiography, presenting scan-ning methods, dose-reduction techniques and guidelines. The participants then had the opportunity to experience syngo.via

senting clinically-oriented expert lec-tures, refresher courses and face-off sessions. The meeting structure for 2012 has been developed in the format of practical relevant and scientific lecture sessions. Friday January 13, 2012 will focus on oncology, with talks presented by colleagues from diagnostic and inter-ventional radiology, therapeutic radiol-ogy, nuclear medicine, oncology, and surgery, who will provide in-depth knowledge about current standards and innovations in diagnostic and follow-up evaluation. The symposium is geared towards all who are interested in CT, as well as established radiologists, health physicists, physicians, and physicists from industry and research. The sympo-sium is accredited by the Bavarian “Landesärztekammer” and the German Academy for Advanced Training in Radi-ology, so participants will have the option of registering for CME credits. The conference language is German.

Garmisch CT Symposium 2012 – The CongressBy Monika Demuth, PhD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Hands-on Tutorials at ESC 2011By Susanne v. Vietinghoff, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

From January 11–14, 2012, the 7th Interna-tional Symposium for Multislice CT will take place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Once again, Siemens organized hands-on tutorials at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2011.

by themselves during the case reviews.After the session Siemens received the following positive feedback:“The tips and short-cuts shown are very helpful,” says Marjolein Kamphuis Men-ses, MD, from the ERASMUS University Medical Center in Rotterdam. “It is abso-lutely fascinating to see the potential offered by on-screen image processing.”Alexander Frank, MD, Klinik am Eichert, Göppingen, Germany: “It was very inter-esting to get to know the new post-pro-cessing application and to learn some-thing about the latest trends in CT.”The hands-on tutorials will be offeredagain at ESC 2012 in Munich.

Further information on the CT 2012 web site and online regis-tration: http://www.ct2012.org/cms/ct2012/ct2012-home.html

http://www.escardio.org


Customer Excellence


Customer Excellence

Siemens Healthcare offers live clinical webi-nars, where latest news in medical imaging can be followed.

The three new flyers from the series provide expert advice about CARE Dose4D, CARE kV and pediatric CT imaging with syngo CT 2011.

With FAST CARE, new and innovative features for dose reduction, such as CARE kV and CARE Child, are brought into clinical practice. Three new fl yers out of a series provide expert advice from Siemens Research and Develop-ment Department on how to use these technologies to the fullest extent. “How to scan with CARE kV”:CARE kV makes automated tube voltage adjustment possible, and CARE Child even allows scanning at 70 kV. This fl yer includes information about the prerequi-sites and workfl ow, and information about the technology of tube voltage adaption. “How to scan with CARE Dose4D”: CARE Dose4D adjusts the tube current automatically for the individual patient and examination. This fl yer provides information about the settings and how they can be customized to match the

For every healthcare professional who is interested in being connected with lead-ing clinicians all over the world, Siemens Healthcare offers live clinical webinars, where the latest news in medical imag-ing can be followed. Many clinical webinars have already been held since the launch of the fi rst session in December 2010 on ‘Low dose in cardiac CT imaging’. Past webinar top-ics include ‘MR: emergencies in neuro imaging’, ‘Multi-modality reading in oncology’ and ‘CT: stroke management’.Each month, a new clinical modality will be in the spotlight, including a discus-sion of topics relevant to the fi eld.

FAST CARE Boosted with Expert AdviceBy Heidrun Endt, MD, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Keep Track of Developments with Clinical WebinarsBy Susanne v. Vietinghoff, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

clinical needs of the institution based on the technology implemented in the latest scanner software syngo CT 2011. “How to scan children with FAST CARE”: The new dose management features will be especially benefi cial to the youngest patients due to their increased sensitiv-ity to radiation dosage. To meet special requirements in pediatric CT imaging, this fl yer summarizes tips and tricks for

scanning children with FAST CARE.Copies of all the fl yers from this series can be ordered via the Customer Information Portal, Siemens Internet.

The next webinars will cover the follow-ing topics:■ The role of MRI in breast imaging■ TAVI planning using advanced

visualization On January 19, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. CET Martine Remy-Jardin, MD, will talk about CT-based diagnosis of lung disease. Each webinar will be recorded and made available online for viewing at a later date.The clinical webinars are free of charge.

www.siemens.com/clinical-webinars

Tsaaw

www.siemens.com/CT-infoportalTraining & Education, Order your training materials




Customer Excellence


New Software for the SOMATOM Emotion 16 By Katharina Linseisen and Marion Meusel, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

As the demand for faster and more precise diagnosis increases, optimized workflow concepts and clinical applica-tions become more and more important. Siemens constantly works on advancing its CT technologies and syngo Evolve, Siemens’ non-obsolescence program for SOMATOM CT scanners, provides the opportunity to benefit from these enhancements. A new syngo Evolve upgrade1 is sched-uled for 2012 for SOMATOM Emotion scanners running syngo CT 2007E which are subject to a syngo Evolve contract. After upgrading the latest software version and the required hardware, the user can access enhanced functionality and new features within the daily work-flow. Dedicated application training for the new software enables healthcare professionals to fully utilize the capabili-ties of the scanner.

Enhanced functionalities with the syngo Evolve upgrade:Siemens’ comprehensive approach for dose reduction in all areas of diagnostic and interventional imaging has resulted in a new DICOM Dose Structured Report (DICOM SR). For each examination, a DICOM SR is created in the “Patient Browser” and can be easily exported or send to PACS. It summarizes examina-tion data and dose information accord-ing to the current DICOM standard.DICOM SR can be used with CARE Ana-lytics, one of the latest CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) appli-cations. CARE Analytics analyzes and documents the dose received by patients during an examination with Siemens CT systems, X-ray and fluoroscopy devices and angiography systems. Accordingly, CARE Analytics can help clinicians to optimize their scan protocols and to

work with reduced dose, allowing for greater dose transparency.To maximize workflow efficiency, the new software has also been refined with features which make the workday easier and clinically more successful, such as:■ New “Move” buttons on the “Routine

Subtask Card” move the table up or down and in or out, directly via the user interface.

■ “Auto Delete” deletes user-defined data automatically at specified time points depending on criteria such as free disk space. This ensures that the required storage capacity is always available.

Features to expand the clinical capabilities:In addition, the syngo Evolve upgrade now offers the possibility to expand clin-ical capabilities. The new features avail-able for purchase are IRIS, syngo CT Oncology, syngo InSpace™ Lung Paren-chyma, syngo InSpace4D EP and syngo Expert-i for the acquisition console.A further key effort for improving patient care comes from Siemens’ lead-ership position in reducing dose. With the introduction of Iterative Reconstruc-tion in Image Space (IRIS) in 2011 for the SOMATOM Emotion, the most popu-lar CT scanner in the world is set to further reduce noise, deliver increased image quality, and make significant dose savings for a wide range of clinical applications.2

syngo CT Oncology is a comprehensive software solution designed to fast-track routine diagnostic oncology, staging, and follow-up. syngo CT Oncology pro-vides a range of fully automated tools specifically designed to support physi-cians in the detection, segmentation,

Customers with an installed SOMATOM Emotion 16 scanner and syngo Evolve contract will get a software and hardware upgrade and have access to new clinical capabilities.



Customer Excellence

The 3rd Defi nition Symposium held by Siemens Japan in Tokyo

By Katharina Otani, PhD and Eri Hirayama, Siemens Japan Healthcare, Tokyo, Japan


and evaluation of suspicious lesions including dedicated tools for lung, liver, and lymph node assessment. It also offers a fully-automated follow-up protocol and features LungCAD (computer assisted detection). syngo CT Oncology also facilitates functional imaging offering fusion of PET with CT data. Furthermore syngo InSpace Lung Parenchyma Evaluation allows 3D evalu-ation of lung parenchyma in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).As an addition to InSpace4D, the InSpace EP application provides 3D cardiac visu-alization including automated segmen-tation of the left atrium and pulmonary veins. InSpace EP supports the electro-physiologist during planning, performing and follow-up of ablations for atrial fibrillation treatment.syngo Expert-i enables the physician to interact with the syngo Acquisition Workplace from virtually anywhere in the hospital. Questions that may arise

at the syngo Acquisition Workplace can be addressed quickly and efficiently from a network PC without having to go to the workplace.More detailed information, videos, case studies and how to order free trial licenses can be found on the Siemens online portal “Discover. Try. Get a Quote.”

1A This head was scanned with a SOMATOM Emotion 16 and reconstructed with standard filtered back projection (FBP), using a H41 kernel.

1B IRIS improves image quality by signifi-cantly decreasing image noise without loss of resolution or gray-white matter dif-ferentiation.

1 This upgrade contains software version VB40.2 In clinical practice, the use of IRIS may reduce CT

patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality for the particular task.

www.siemens.com/DiscoverCT

Over three hundred participants attended the 3rd Definition Symposium in Tokyo on August 27, 2011 to share infor-mation on Dual Source CT, Dual Energy CT, and volume perfusion CT with the SOMATOM Definition family. Fifteen doc-tors and technologists from university and private hospitals chaired and pre-sented the sessions. In the first session, the speakers focused on technological aspects of CT, with three presentations on temporal resolution, spatial resolution, and dose. The radiolog-ical technologists discussed phantom measurements, and shared tips and tricks for increasing image quality and lowering dose in clinical routine. Afterwards, radi-

ologists gave four presentations on car-diovascular CT in the second session. Starting with two talks on SOMATOM Definition Flash for pediatric CT and acute care, the next two speakers went on to inform the audience on perfusion CT for stroke care, and liver perfusion CT with the Definition AS. Siemens Japan also delivered a short lecture on Iterative Reconstruction. The last session on Dual Energy CT (DECT) covered a wide area of applications including DECT brain hemor-rhage, virtual non-contrast and iodine dis-tribution images for gastrointestinal can-cers, monoenergetic DECT, and plaque removal in coronary DE CTA. Each session was followed by lively discussions.

1A 1B



Customer Excellence


w

How can the patient model dialog be cleaned up, if it is unnecessarily clut-tered and confusing?Tube voltage (kV value) is an important parameter for the quality of each scan. In previous software versions, the patient model dialog listed separate protocols for different patient sizes, as large patients require a higher tube voltage than slim patients. Frequently, the same scan pro-tocols were stored with different kV values while all other parameters

remained unchanged, cluttering up the patient model dialog (Fig. 1).With the latest software version syngo CT2011A/B with CARE kV1 on the SOMATOM Definition AS and SOMATOM Definition Flash, users no longer have to search for the right protocol. Default reference values are used as a basis for every scan protocol with CARE kV.The software considers the reference kV value, the reference mA value, patient size and examination type to define the

best kV value for the scan. Instead of requiring the protocol with the correct kV value to be selected manually, the scanner sets the right kV value automati-cally. As the default protocols already have the right settings, the redundant scan protocols can be removed from the patient model dialog.The result is an organized and uncluttered patient model dialog (Fig. 2) which streamlines the workflow by making the right protocol easy to find.

Frequently Asked Question By Ivo Driesser, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

Title Dates Short Description Location Contact

Euro SCCT Dec 16, 2011

Euro Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Munich, Germany

CT Sympo-sium

Jan 11 – 14, 2012

International symposium Garmisch Parten-kirchen, Germany

www.ct2012.org/

Arab Health Jan 23 – 26, 2012

Arab Health Dubai, UAE

www.arabhealthonline.com/

ECR Mar 1 – 5, 2012

European Congress of Radiology Vienna, Austria

www.myesr.org/cms/website.php?id=/en/about_esr_ecr.htm

China Med Mar 23 – 25,2012

International Medical Instruments and Equipment Exhibition

Beijing,China

www.chinamed.net.cn/en/Default.asp

Cardiac MRI & CT

Apr 1 – 3, 2012

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging & computed tomography

Cannes, France

cannes2012.medconvent.at/

Upcoming Events & Congresses

1 2

1 Frequently, the same scan protocols are stored with only different kV values, cluttering up the patient dialog.

2 With the latest software syngo CT2011A/B with CARE kV on the SOMATOM Definition AS and SOMATOM Definition Flash, the de-fault protocols already have the right kV settings. Redundant scan protocols can be removed from the patient model dialog.

1 Available as an option




Customer ExcellenceLife

Clinical Workshops 2012As a cooperation partner of many renowned hospitals, Siemens Healthcare offers continuing CT training programs. A wide range of clinical workshops keeps participants at the forefront of clinical CT imaging.

Workshop Title Date Location Course Language Course Director

ESGAR CT-Colonography Workshop Feb 8 – 10, 2012 Rome, Italy

English /Italian

Prof. Andrea Laghi, MDFranco Iafrate, MD

Clinical Workshop on Cardiac CT

Feb 15 – 17, 2012July 4 – 6, 2012

Munich, Germany

English Prof. Christoph Becker, MD

Hands-on Workshops at ECR 2012 Mar 1 – 5, 2012 Vienna,Austria

English Siemens Healthcare

Clinical Workshop on Dual Energy Mar 30 – 31, 2012 Forchheim,Germany

English PD Thorsten Johnson, MD

Coronary CTA Interpretation Workshop

Mar 15 – 16, 2012June 21 – 22, 2012

Erlangen, Germany

English Prof. Dieter Ropers, MD

Hands-on at the ESGAR Congress June 12 – 15, 2012 Edinburgh, UK English Steve Halligan

Hands-on Tutorial at ESC 2012 Aug 25 – 29, 2012 Munich, Germany

English Siemens Healthcare

In addition, you can always fi nd the latest CT courses offered by Siemens Healthcare at www.siemens.com/SOMATOMEducate

CMEF Apr 16 – 19, 2012

China International Medical Equipment Fair

Shenzhen, China

en.cmef.com.cn/

WCC Apr 18 – 21,2012

World Congress of Cardiology Dubai, UAE

www.world-heart-federation.org/con-gress-and-events/world-congress-of-cardiology-scientific-sessions-2012/

ECIO Apr 25 – 28, 2012

European Conference on Interventional Oncology

Florence, Italy

www.ecio2012.org/

Africa Health May 9 – 11,2012

Africa Health Johannesburg, South Africa

www.africahealthexhibition.com/

ESPR May 28 – June 1, 2012

European Society for Paediatric Research

Athens, Greece

www.espr.info/Pages/default.aspx

ISCT June 17 – 20,2012

International Symposium on Multidetector Row CT

San Francisco, USA

www.isct.org

SCCT July 19 – 22,2012

Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Baltimore, USA

www.scct.org/

AOCR Aug 29 – Sept 2, 2012

Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology

Sydney, Australia

www.aocr.org/

ESC Aug 29 – Sept 2, 2012

European Society of Cardiology Munich, Germany

www.escardio.org/Pages/index.aspx

Customer Excellence




Subscription

Siemens Healthcare PublicationsOur publications offer the latest information and background for every healthcare fi eld. From the hospital director to the radiological assistant – here, you can quickly fi nd information relevant to your needs.

For current and past issues and to order the magazines, please visit www.siemens.com/healthcare-magazine.

Medical SolutionsInnovations and trends in healthcare. The magazine is designed especially for members of hospital manage-ment, administration personnel, and heads of medical departments.

MAGNETOM FlashEverything from the world of magnetic reso-nance imaging. The magazine presents case reports, technology, product news, and how-to articles. It is primarily designed for physicians, physicists, and medical technical personnel.

AXIOM InnovationsEverything from the worlds of interventional radiology, cardiology, fluoroscopy, and radiog-raphy. This semiannual magazine is primarily designed for physicians, physicists, researchers, and medical technical personnel.

eNewsRegister for the global Siemens Healthcare Newsletter at www.siemens.com/healthcare-eNews to re-ceive monthly updates on topics that inter-est you.

IMAGING LifeEverything from the world of molecular imag-ing innovations. This bi-annual magazine presents clinical case reports, cus-tomer experiences, and product news, and is pri-marily designed for phy-sicians, hospital manage-ment and researches.

SOMATOM Sessions Online This website is a digital equivalent to the existing print magazine, including news from the world of computed tomography. With its reports and case studies, it is primarily designed for physicians, physicists, and medical technical personnel. www.siemens.com/SOMATOM-Sessions


Note in accordance with § 33 Para.1 of the German Federal Data Protection Law: Despatch is made using an address file which is maintained with the aid of an automated data processing system.SOMATOM Sessions with a total circulation of 35,000 copies is sent free of charge to Siemens Computed Tomography customers, qualified physicians and radiology departments throughout the world. It includes reports in the English language on Computed Tomography: diagnostic and therapeutic methods and their applica-tion as well as results and experience gained with corresponding systems and solutions. It introduces from case to case new principles and procedures and dis-cusses their clinical potential.The statements and views of the authors in the individual contributions do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.The information presented in these articles and case reports is for illustration only and is not intended to be relied upon by the reader for instruction as to the prac-tice of medicine. Any health care practitioner reading this information is remind-ed that they must use their own learning, training and expertise in dealing with their individual patients. This material does not substitute for that duty and is not intended by Siemens Medical Solutions to be used for any purpose in that regard.

The drugs and doses mentioned herein are consistent with the approval labeling for uses and/or indications of the drug. The treating physician bears the sole responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, including drugs and doses prescribed in connection with such use. The Operating Instructions must always be strictly followed when operating the CT System. The sources for the technical data are the corresponding data sheets. Results may vary.Partial reproduction in printed form of individual contributions is permitted, pro-vided the customary bibliographical data such as author’s name and title of the contribution as well as year, issue number and pages of SOMATOM Sessions are named, but the editors request that two copies be sent to them. The written consent of the authors and publisher is required for the complete reprinting of an article.We welcome your questions and comments about the editorial content of SOMATOM Sessions. Manuscripts as well as suggestions, proposals and informa-tion are always welcome; they are carefully examined and submitted to the edito-rial board for attention. SOMATOM Sessions is not responsible for loss, damage, or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts or other materials. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, and space. Include your name, address, and phone number and send to the editors, address above.


Imprint


Editorial

“With the introduction of two completely new systems at this year’s RSNA conference, we have shown our strength in innovation and that we listen carefully to our customers.”

Walter Märzendorfer, Chief Executive Officer, Business Unit Computed Tomography and Radiation Oncology, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany

SOMATOM Sessions is also available on the internet: www.siemens.com/SOMATOM-Sessions

SOMATOM Sessions – IMPRINT© 2011 by Siemens AG, Berlin and MunichAll Rights Reserved

Publisher:Siemens AGMedical SolutionsComputed Tomography & Radiation OncologySiemensstraße 1, 91301 Forchheim, Germany

Chief Editors:Monika Demuth, PhD([email protected])Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD([email protected])

Clinical Editor:Xiaoyan Chen, MD([email protected])

Project Management: Sandra Kolb

Responsible for Contents: Peter Seitz

Editorial Board:Xiaoyan Chen, MD, Monika Demuth, PhD, Heidrun Endt, MD, Andreas Fischer, Tanja Gassert, Julia Hölscher, Sandra Kolb, Axel Lorz, Peter Seitz, Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD

Authors of this issue:Laura Avery, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Ralf W. Bauer, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Martin Beeres, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Arthur Borgonovi, MD, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil

Liz D‘Arcy, DCR, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford, Ireland

Richard Deignan, MD, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford, Ireland

Florian Fintelmann, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Wang Gang, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Katrien Geboers, MD, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Rajiv Gupta, MD PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Sally Gysbrechts, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Brian Ghoshhajra, MD, MBA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

Rui Juan Han, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Prof. Norinari Honda, MD, Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Japan

Dany Jasinowodolinski, MD, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil

Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

J. Matthias Kerl, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Li Gang Li, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Ruth Lim, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Li Jun Ma, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Jean Meyskens, MD, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

PD Georg Mühlenbruch, MD University Hospital Aachen, Germany

Garrett Rowe, MD Medical University of South Carolina, Charlston, SC, USA

Iwan Scheelen, AZ Turnhout, Belgium

Boris Schell, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Joseph U. Schoepf, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, Charlston, SC, USA

Harald Seifarth, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Kai Sun, MD, Baotou Central Hospital, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China

Thomas J. Vogl, MD, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Prof. Martin Wiesmann, MD, University Hospital Aachen, Germany

Hisami Yanagita,Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Japan

Qiao-wei Zhang, MD, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

Shi-zheng Zhang, MD, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

Tony De Lisa, external writer, Germany; Amy K. Erickson, Medical editor, San Francisco bay area, USA; Ingrid Horn, Scientific writer, Germany; Eric Johnson, external journalist, Germany; Justus Krüger, Freelance Journalist, Hong Kong,China; Ruth Wissler, Spirit Link Medical, Erlangen, Germany

Thomas Allmendinger, PhD; Karin Barthel; Florian Belohlavek; Tiago Campos; Monika Demuth, PhD; Jochen Dormeier, MD; Ivo Driesser; Heidrun Endt, MD; Jan Freund; Ulrike Haberland; Eri Hirayama; Susanne Hölzer; Christianne Leidecker, PhD; Katharina Linseisen; Bo Liu, PhD; Marion Meusel; Katharina Otani, PhD; Harald Schöndube, PhD; Philip Stenner, PhD; Stefan Ulzheimer, PhD; Susanne von Vietinghoff; Sebastian Vogt;

Photo Credits: Simon Hayter / Aurora; Stefan Sahm; Thomas Meyer (Ostkreuz); Christian Weiss

Production and PrePress: Norbert Moser, Kerstin Putzer, Siemens AG, Healtchare Sector

Desing and Editorial Consulting: Independent Medien-Design, Munich, Germany In cooperation with Primafila AG, Zurich, Switzerland Managing Editor: Christa KrickPhoto Editor: Anja KellnerLayout: Andreas Brunner, Claudia Diem, Mathias Frisch, Melina Lopez-RuizAll at: Widenmayer straße 16, 80538 Munich, Germany

The entire editorial staff here at Siemens Healthcare extends their appreciation to all the experts, radiologists, scholars, physicians and technicians, who donated their time and energy – without payment – in order to share their expertise with the readers of SOMATOM Sessions.

Sub

scriptio

n

SOMATOM Sessions

28

Cover Story

News

Business

Clinical Results

Science

Cover page: Courtesy of German Heart Center, Departments of Cardiology and Radiology, Munich, Germany


Answers for life in Computed Tomography

SOMATOM Sessions

29

Issue Number 29 / November 2011International Edition

Cover Story A Critical “Edge” When Seconds CountPage 6

News syngo.via: New Clinical Opportunities with Brand New CT Software ApplicationsPage 12

Business Value Added MaxPage 26

Clinical ResultsFlash Scanning of CoronaryCTA with just 0.3 mSvPage 38

Science From Mannheim to Shanghai: a Viable Model for Future International Research CollaborationsPage 68

On account of certain regional limitations of sales rights and service availability, we cannot guarantee that all products included in this brochure are available through the Siemens sales organization worldwide. Availability and packaging may vary by country and is subject to change without prior notice. Some/All of the features and products described herein may not be available in the United States.

The information in this document contains general technical descriptions of specifications and options as well as standard and optional features which do not always have to be present in individual cases.

Siemens reserves the right to modify the design, packaging, specifications and options described herein without prior notice. Please contact your local Siemens sales representative for the most current information.

Note: Any technical data contained in this document may vary within defined tolerances. Original images always lose a certain amount of detail when reproduced.

www.siemens.com/healthcare-magazine

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Order No. A91CT-41014-87M1-7600 | Printed in Germany | CC CT 41014 ZS 1111/35. | © 11.2011, Siemens AG

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