Siemens SOMATOM Definition AS Receives FDA Clearance
June 09 2008 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Medical University of South Carolina Becomes One of the First
Clinical Installations of World's First Adaptive CT Scanner
MALVERN, Pa., June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Medical
Solutions USA, Inc. (http://www.siemens.com/healthcare) has
received FDA 510(k) market clearance for the SOMATOM(R) Definition
AS, the world's first adaptive CT scanner. The Medical University
of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston is one of the first
facilities to install the scanner, adding to the SOMATOM Definition
Dual Source MUSC installed in September 2006. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080609/NYM026) (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) The
SOMATOM Definition AS adapts to virtually any patient, adapts for
complete dose protection, adapts for new dimensions, and adapts to
the user's space. "The SOMATOM Definition AS goes beyond slices and
detector rows to addresses the overall versatility and usefulness
of a CT scanner," said Dr. Joseph Schoepf, associate professor of
Radiology and Cardiology, and director of CT Research and
Development at MUSC. "It truly allows you to adapt the CT scanning
to your individual patients." The SOMATOM Definition AS provides
tremendous benefit with the Adaptive Dose Shield technology,
eliminating unnecessary overradiation. "Siemens is constantly
focused on improving diagnostic quality while reducing dose in
computed tomography. Patient safety has consistently been, and
still is, our number one priority. With our SOMATOM product family
we continuously develop new ideas and solutions for maintaining
ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) guidelines to achieve
success and to integrate these developments into our systems for
dose reduction and improvement in patient safety." Peter Kingma,
vice president, Computed Tomography, Siemens Medical Solutions USA,
Inc. Until now, many CT vendors have fallen prey to unnecessary
dose both before and at the end of the spiral scan range, which has
been a function of spiral multi-slice imaging. As detector size and
slice counts grow, the "pre and post over scan range" problem
becomes more acute, particularly where older gantry designs are
simply updated with newer detector designs to save cost for the
manufacturer. Only Siemens' unique Adaptive Dose Shield addresses
this growing issue by dynamically blocking the unnecessary dose
before and after the spiral scan, ensuring that the only dose
applied to the patient is dose that is clinically relevant. The
SOMATOM Definition AS adapts to each patient's clinical situation
and also opens the door to new applications in CT imaging. The
unique Adaptive 4D Spiral mode of the SOMATOM Definition AS is able
to address functional imaging (perfusion images of blood flow over
time) of whole organs. This allows Siemens to offer dynamic
information of up to 27 cm. In the case of a stroke, physicians can
use whole-organ perfusion imaging not only for a small part of the
brain, but for all of it. "A SOMATOM Definition CT scanner
transforms itself into a stroke unit, a noninvasive cath lab, a
therapy management tool for cancer patients, or an interventional
suite - all according to the need of the individual patient," said
Kingma. "All of these advances work to improve the quality of
patient management and overall efficiency of healthcare, while
keeping the costs down." "Clinical needs have shifted and we have
seen a significant upswing in the number of patients who undergo
bariatric surgery," said Schoepf. "In the past, we were limited by
the bore size and the table weight, but the SOMATOM Definition AS
allows us to adapt to the needs of this group of patients." The
SOMATOM Definition AS comes in multiple configurations, each of
which is tailored to a hospital's workflow and clinical needs, with
a goal to make the most complex procedures routine. The technology
couples multiple components in a dynamic manner: a large-volume
coverage area with a 200-cm scan range and up to 300 msec rotation
time, 78-cm gantry bore, and the ability to add a high-capacity
660-pound patient table. These features allow even the most
clinically challenging patients (i.e., trauma patients) to be
imaged rapidly, from head to toe, without difficulty. The
Definition AS is available in 40-slice, 64-slice, and 128-slice
configurations. It can be field upgraded to other configurations
with minimal downtime. This allows the technology to grow with the
institution's needs while minimizing downtime and loss of service.
In addition to its extraordinary performance, the SOMATOM
Definition AS is able to adapt to the space constraints many
facilities face today. It requires very little floor space, with an
18-m2 footprint. This allows the Definition AS to fit into rooms
that have traditionally been too small for high-end CT scanners.
About Siemens Healthcare Siemens Healthcare is one of the world's
largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a
renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and
innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as
well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology
and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics
acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first fully integrated
diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics,
therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions,
supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare
delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care - from
prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care.
Additionally, Siemens is the global market leader in innovative
hearing instruments. The company employs more than 49,000 people
worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007
(Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of Euro 9.85 billion,
orders of Euro 10.27 billion, and group profit of Euro 1.32
billion. Further information can be found by visiting
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080609/NYM026
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Medical Solutions
USA, Inc. CONTACT: Tom Schaffner, Siemens AG, +1-610-448-1477, Web
site: http://www.siemens.com/healthcare
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