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X-RAY computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging procedurethat utilises computer-processed X-rays to produce three-dimensional images, or 'lices' of specific areas of the body. Building on that technology, the new Siemens Somatom Definition Edge uses new, advanced and highly sensitive detectors and complex software algorithms to translate X-ray energy data into high-quality, diagnostic images. Traditionally, using lower dose radiation would make the images more susceptible to external interference, or "noise."
The Edge CT utilises the Stellar Detector, the first fully integrated detector designed to minimise electronic noise, and SAFIRE raw-data-based iterative reconstruction for ultra low-dose imaging, eliminating the contradiction of outstanding image quality with minimal dose. This new combination of hardware and software allow for the significant reduction in required radiation dose to obtain high quality scans.
In Edge technology, minimised cross-talk from the Stellar Detector creates an almost perfect model of the focal spot. Without cross-talk, intrinsic slice blurring between neighbouring detector rows can be avoided and individual slice profiles are much more precise. The result is a slice thickness of 0.5 mm.
Increased image detail
High spatial resolution in combination with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a reliable indicator for excellent image quality. Together they describe the image detail level and sharpness that can be made visible whilst acquiring diagnostic CT images.
In addition to the Stellar Detector, the Edge CT is equipped with Siemens’ STRATON tube with z-Sharp Technology that improves spatial resolution. Using a flying focal spot with two distinct X-ray beams, z-Sharp acquires two individual, overlapping slices resulting in a spatial resolution of up to 0.30 mm, which is equivalent to approximately 19 lp/cm.
At the same time, the TrueSignal Technology of the Stellar Detector compensates for the reduced light quants of the 0.5 mm slice. Instead of increasing dose, it makes more efficient use of the initially available quants per voxel: As the electronic noise of the detector is virtually eliminated, the overall noise is reduced so that the quants contribute to a higher SNR. Consequently, thin slices of 0.5 mm can be used in clinical practice.
First unit in the United States
New York’s NYU Langone Medical Center (www.NYULMC.org) is the first in the United States to offer patients access to Edge CT, one of the world’s fastest CT scanners capable of generating high quality, 3-D diagnostic images using extremely low radiation."
The Edge CT offers our patients precise diagnoses using doses that are 70-80 per cent less than levels already proven to be safe by accrediting organisations – some patients may actually only need a dose comparable to natural background radiation, without sacrificing image quality," said Alec J. Megibow, MD,MPH, FACR, professor, Department of Radiology and director of Outpatient Imaging Services at NYU Langone Medical Center.
Additionally, the Edge CT allows radiologists to capture images of structures as small as 0.3 mm, at a faster speed, thereby improving a patient’s experience. For example, using this new technology for a customary thorax-abdomen CT scan may be completed in approximately two seconds.
The faster imaging speed combined with much lower dose will benefit emergency
department physicians who need to make quick treatment decisions based on diagnostic images; and clinicians treating cardiovascular conditions, where coronary arteries move continuously with the heart, will have an enhanced ability to detect coronary stenosis and atherosclerotic changes in plaque formations.