Siemens Healthineers launched two new, more affordable photon-counting CT scanners on Dec. 1. The new models come three years after the company introduced its Naeotom Alpha, which was the first commercially available photo-counting CT available for clinical use.
Photon-counting CT can produce higher-resolution images by counting each X-ray photon that travels through the patient and generating anatomical and functional information. It requires lower radiation doses than traditional CT and can detect small structures with fewer artifacts.
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“We feel a burden of responsibility based on the significant clinical impact [of our first system] to make this technology as accessible as possible from an economic standpoint,” said Matthew Dedman, head of CT for Siemens Healthineers North America.
The new Naeotom Alpha.Pro and Naeotom Alpha.Prime, which were submitted for 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration in mid-November, are lower-cost options compared with the original, flagship scanner, now re-named Naeotom Alpha.Peak. The main difference between the scanners is the speed at which they can scan.
The Alpha.Peak and Alpha.Pro are dual-source CTs, meaning the scanners use two X-ray tubes and detectors to take images. Both can scan faster and capture more detailed images, although the Alpha.Peak is the fastest of the two.
The Alpha.Prime is a single-source CT, meaning it uses one X-ray tube and detector. It has the slowest scan time but is still effective for many applications.
The Alpha.Pro’s speed makes it more suitable for pulmonology exams, allowing patients to hold their breath for less time. It’s also useful in cardiology so scans can be done at high heart rates without beta-blockers and in pediatrics so children can be scanned without sedation.
The Alpha.Prime is designed for healthcare settings where the patient population primarily includes those needing neurological, thoracic, abdominal, and emergency radiology care, Dedman said. That’s because those applications don’t require the speed of dual-source CT.
These scanners will be on display at the annual Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago, which runs Dec. 1 to 4.
Within the U.S., more than 60 institutions have purchased the Alpha.Peak, and globally, that number approaches 200. More than 1 million patients globally have been scanned with Siemens Healthineers’ photon-counting CT in the past three years. according to the company.
Institutions that have purchased the Alpha.Peak have reported improvements in clinical care, Dedman said. The providers can get certain patients on the proper treatment pathway faster because they have a more accurate understanding of the degree of coronary artery disease and the amount of narrowing in the coronary arteries.
“We're seeing reductions in the number of patients who are referred to the cath lab that don't require intervention and we're seeing more efficient triaging of patients,” Dedman said. “If you have a photon-counting CT scan of your heart, odds are, if you’re referred to the cath lab, it's because you truly need an intervention, whether it's a stent or something else.”
Siemens Healhineers said it is committed to continuing investing in this technology, with $86 million allocated to expanding its photon-counting detector production in Germany.
