FDA clears 16-, 32-slice versions of Siemens’ SOMATOM Perspective CT system

Siemens Healthcare has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the 16- and 32-slice iterations of its industry-redefining SOMATOM® Perspective computed tomography (CT) system – an advanced scanner that is engineered to drive efficiency and reduce costs. Designed for community and critical access hospitals as well as outpatient imaging centers, the SOMATOM Perspective helps facilities extend the range of available examinations to patients in their community at reduced radiation dose with one of the lowest total costs of ownership in the industry. The new 16- and 32-slice versions of the SOMATOM Perspective bring high-end scanning technologies to a broader clientele, with the option of upgrading to the system’s 64- and 128-slice configurations, which have been available since 2012. The new SOMATOM Perspective configurations, like other new CT scanners from Siemens, enable healthcare providers to comply with the NEMA XR-29 Smart Dose Standard, helping ensure a safer imaging experience for patients.¹ 

New slice configurations for specific applications
The 16-slice SOMATOM Perspective is ideal for facilities that need a scanner capable of high-volume routine scanning. In addition to being suitable for routine oncology scans as well as head, neck, lung and abdominal imaging, the Perspective 16 is suitable to help clinicians ensure delivery of pain-relieving analgesics to the correct location during surgery. The 32-slice configuration is designed to provide more detailed imaging for bone fractures, inner ear examinations, and vascular applications. Both the 16- and 32-slice configurations come standard with Siemens’ SAFIRE (Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction) algorithm, an iterative CT reconstruction method based on raw data. SAFIRE enables the user to either reduce patient radiation dose by as much as 60 percent compared to previous filtered back projection techniques or improve image quality correspondingly.²
 
“With these new 16- and 32-slice versions of the SOMATOM Perspective, Siemens is helping facilities increase their ability to accommodate more patients or to replace outdated technology with a solution that delivers the latest, dose-reducing and workflow-enhancing technologies at an ideal total cost of ownership,” said Murat Gungor, vice president, CT and radiation oncology business management, Siemens Healthcare.

Technologies boost uptime, enhance patient experience
Exclusive to the SOMATOM Perspective is its eCockpit, which features technologies that enhance the longevity of the scanner’s most expensive and fragile component – the X-ray tube. eCockpit includes eMode, which automatically selects scan parameters that reduce wear and tear on the X-ray tube; eStart, which provides a smoother start up time during lulls in the scanning day; and eSleep, which stops the X-ray tube and detector inside the gantry from spinning when the scanner is not in use. The SOMATOM Perspective also includes automated solutions that help simplify time-consuming, complex procedures, supporting clinical personnel at every stage of the CT examination and allowing them to spend more focusing on patients. Additionally, a standard illumination moodlight contributes to a soothing patient environment.

¹ The following new Siemens CT scanners have demonstrated compliance with the NEMA XR-29 Smart Dose Standard: SOMATOM Force, SOMATOM Definition Flash, SOMATOM Definition Edge, SOMATOM Definition AS and AS+, SOMATOM Perspective, and SOMATOM Emotion.

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 54 to 60% dose reduction when using the SAFIRE reconstruction software. Noise, CT numbers, homogeneity, 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.

For further information regarding Siemens CT, please see http://usa.healthcare.siemens.com/Perspective

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The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 52,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2013 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 13.6 billion euros and profit of 2.0 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.