Siemens Healthineers aims to scan 1 billion patients with photon-counting based computed tomography scanners within the next decade, bringing its unique state-of-the-art imaging within reach of more and more communities.
Over 500.000 patients have been scanned with the system so far at a large installed base, in settings ranging from privately owned practices to large university hospitals, each with its unique clinical case mix. Naeotom Alpha was launched in 2021 and is still the only commercially available system with photon-counting technology cleared for clinical use. The company is investing €80 million ($86 million) to expand photon-counting CT manufacturing in Forchheim, Germany.
At RSNA 2023, Siemens Healthineers is unveiling a third wave of clinical innovations, bringing more than 10 new functionalities aimed at further improving performance, especially in the cardiac arena. A new heart imaging reconstruction allows cardiac imagers to achieve consistent results for various detector widths. Another update further improves the performance of scans of hearts with extensive calcifications or stents – with spectral information and reconstruction of spectral results to give even more functional insights.
“The future of CT is photon-counting. More and more clinical indications are emerging where photon-counting CT technology is uniquely positioned to help even in the most demanding settings. We are ready to move into a broader market and to take the next step in our ambition to positively impact millions of patients’ lives. Today, we are underlining our unstoppable commitment to expand our photon-counting CT portfolio within the upcoming years”, said Philipp Fischer, Head of Computed Tomography at Siemens Healthineers.
Siemens Healthineers’ photon-counting CT technology has proven itself an indispensable technology in clinical routine, helping patients and physicians all around the world to get answers to life-changing questions. By “counting“ each individual X-ray that passes through a patient, more detailed images with both anatomical and functional information can be acquired. Numerous cases in and beyond cardiovascular, neurovascular and pulmonary care demonstrate the potential of Siemens Healthineers’ photon-counting CT technology to provide more conclusive information to physicians. It allows them to provide conclusive diagnosis and confident therapeutic decision making.
Aad van der Lugt, professor and head of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands said: “Photon-counting CT technology has surprised us and exceeded our expectations.” He added that the system was doing everything from fast cardiac scans to complicated neurovascular cases with occlusive disease in small intracerebral vessels, which causes 40 percent of all ischemic strokes. “Naeotom Alpha at Erasmus has proven itself in multiple clinical disciplines and has caused a real discussion on what impact photon-counting could have on improving diagnosis. We are looking forward to a future where more patients can benefit from this great technology – there really is no going back.”
