FDA OKs Siemens Healthineers’ Photon-Counting CT Scanners

Siemens Healthineers has earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its Naeotom Alpha series of photon-counting computed tomography (CT) scanners.

This new product class includes the Naeotom Alpha.Pro, a second dual-source CT scanner, and the Naeotom Alpha.Prime, a single-source scanner without photon-counting CT technology.

Photon-counting CT registers each X-ray photon that travels through the patient to allow acquisition of more detailed anatomical images with functional information, according to the company. Using it, healthcare professionals can precisely evaluate small structures with fewer artifacts using lower radiation doses than conventional CT scanners.

Siemens claims Naeotom Alpha.Peak—the high-end model of the new scanner class—has the fastest scan speed of 737 mm/sec. As with the other two scanners in the class, it uses Quantum HD tech to show anatomy with detail at a slice thickness of 0.2 mm.

Naeotom Alpha.Pro enables scan speeds as fast as 491 mm/sec with the same 66 ms resolution as Alpha.Peak. The scanner’s dual-source capabilities support complex tasks like the automatic analysis and evaluation of highly calcified coronary arteries as well as time-critical treatments for stroke and trauma.

Naeotom Alpha.Prime touts a scan speed of 345 mm/sec and is designed for inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency-room exams.

“By introducing our Naeotom Alpha class of photon-counting CT scanners, Siemens Healthineers delivers on what we see as our responsibility: to broaden the availability of this technology and enable customers to provide its clinical benefits to as many clinicians and patients as possible,” said Matthew Dedman, Head of Computed Tomography at Siemens Healthineers North America.

Last month, Siemens Healthineers and Stratasys presented results of a joint research effort that shows the accuracy of solutions offered by Stratasys to enable 3D-printed medical imaging phantoms to replicate human anatomy.