RSNA 2010 Preview - CT vendors crank up low-dose radiation solutions

(DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING) -- Protocols that get the most from every x-ray and high-tech algorithms that delete noise will drive CT at this year’s show. GE’s ASIR (adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction) technology will take center stage as a means to reduce patient x-ray dose by up to 50% on the company’s Discovery CT750 HD and LightSpeed VCT. ASIR is now running on more than 450 scanners worldwide, cutting dose for more than 10,000 patients per day, according to the firm. GE competitors will make similar claims for their proprietary versions of iterative reconstruction, Siemens’ IRIS and Philips’ iDOSE. Toshiba will bring to RSNA 2010 its Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction (AIDR) for high-end CT dose reductions. The company showcased the product for cardiac CT exams done on its Aquilion One, Aquilion Premium, and all its 64-detector row CT scanners at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, in late August. AIDR remains a work-in-progress in the U.S., pending FDA clearance. It will be accompanied by Target CTA, a cardiac protocol for reducing dose on the Aquilion One. The company will also spotlight its work-in-progress 160-detector row spiral scanning technology on the Aquilion One and Aquilion Premium, allowing full chest, abdomen, and pelvis scans in less than five seconds. GE will port developments in iterative reconstruction for CT to nuclear medicine with the unveiling of its SharpIR, an iterative reconstruction enhancement compatible with the company’s Discovery PET/CT 600 scanners. The CT version, ASIR, will be ported also to PET/CT and SPECT/CT scanners in the GE portfolio to minimize CT dose.

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