Photon-counting CT family gains two new members
Three years after the launch of the photon-counting CT scanner Naeotom Alpha, Siemens Healthineers has introduced the Naeotom Alpha class including a second dual-source scanner, the Naeotom Alpha.Pro, and what it says is the world’s first single-source scanner with photon-counting technology, the Naeotom Alpha.Prime.
Siemens says that, since 2021, Naeotom Alpha has been the only commercially available system with this technology for clinical use, and more than a million patients have already been scanned worldwide. It remains part of a new class of photon-counting CT scanners as Naeotom Alpha.Peak.
“With the launch of the Naeotom Alpha class, we deliver on our promise to make powerful photon-counting technology accessible to more clinicians and patients,” said CT business manager at Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland Carl Smith. “We experience how photon-counting CT impacts clinical decision making and we are convinced that this technology determines the future of CT imaging. Now, we are taking a major step into the future with the introduction of the Naeotom Alpha class, extending photon-counting technology further across our portfolio.”
Photon-counting CT enables the acquisition of more detailed images with anatomical and functional information by counting each x-ray photon that passes through patients. At lower doses, clinicians can detect and evaluate small structures precisely and with fewer artefacts, maximising the diagnostic information and accuracy for fast decision making and optimised imaging workflows. Siemens Healthineers is currently investing €80 million to expand photon-counting detector production in Forchheim, Germany.
Naeotom Alpha.Peak will be the high end model of the series, with a scan time of 737mm/sec. All Naeotom Alpha class systems will use the Quantum HD resolution feature to display anatomical details in high resolution at a slice thickness of 0.2mm.
Naeotom Alpha.Pro combines the precision of photon-counting with the speed of dual-source CT, resulting in scan times as fast as 491mm/sec. Demanding examinations can be performed, for example, in pulmonology, with patients needing to hold their breath for less time; in cardiology, with scans at high heart rates without beta- blockers; and in paediatrics, where children can be scanned without sedation. Spectral performance is important for complex tasks such as the automatic analysis and evaluation of highly calcified coronary arteries and time critical treatments, such as trauma or stroke.
Naeotom Alpha.Prime is single-source photon-counting CT for use as a high performance scanner for inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency room examinations in stand-alone institutions and integrated delivery networks), or also in the periphery of hub-and-spoke networks.
All three systems are pending 510(k) clearance and are not yet commercially available in the USA and other countries.
Picture: Siemens Healthineers introduces the Naeotom Alpha class, a range of photon-counting CT scanners.
Read this report on page 3 of the January 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.
