NYUMC Among the First Facilities in the U.S. to Install the Siemens SOMATOM® Definition, the World’s First Dual-Source CT System
Marking a major milestone in medical imaging, NYU Medical Center is among the first facilities in the U.S. to install the Siemens SOMATOM® Definition, the world’s first dual-source computed tomography (CT) system, which for the first time incorporates two X-ray sources and two detectors in a single scanner.
With the ability to capture data twice as fast as any existing multi-slice CT technology, the Definition can deliver motion-free cardiac images, independent of heart rate. The Definition also has power reserve and dual-energy capabilities not previously available with any other CT system, unlocking new possibilities in emergency radiology.
NYU is using the system for cardiac and vascular exams (including nearly all CT angiographies), as well as other clinical uses, including evaluation of patients with suspected neurologic, thoracic, abdominal/pelvic, or vascular abnormalities.
Dual-source CT technology is enabling physicians to perform cardiac exams on patients with heart rates of 100 beats per minute and over without the need to slow a patient’s heart with beta blocker medications, as was required with previous CT systems. This has reduced patient preparation time that was needed to allow the medication to take effect, and has made advanced CT exams accessible to patients who have conditions that preclude the use of beta blockers, such as patients who have asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or other conditions that affect breathing.
“Siemens dual-source CT technology is another giant step forward in CT imaging,” notes Jill E. Jacobs, M.D., Associate Professor of Radiology and Chief of Cardiac Imaging. “The reduced scan acquisition times and decreased need for patient preparation helps ensure quick results and speeds workflow and patient throughput.”
The technology used in the Definition provides maximum performance in terms of both spatial resolution and temporal resolution. “The improved temporal resolution of 83 milliseconds aids diagnosis of cardiac arterial pathology while allowing diagnostic imaging of cardiac structures at higher heart rates than were previously possible,” said Dr. Jacobs.
Physicians are able to use the Definition’s increased speed to produce sharp images of the heart in all phases of the cardiac cycle, allowing the coronary arteries to be well visualized not only when the heart is moving more slowly (diastole), but also when the heart is rapidly contracting (systole).
The Definition also overcomes the limitations of scanning obese patients that are often experienced with single-source CT systems. Its two X-ray sources provide physicians with increased power to obtain richly detailed images of these patients, while the system’s speed limits radiation exposure. In addition, the Definition has a wide bore opening of 31 inches to ensure comfortable scanning of larger or claustrophobic patients.
Because various X-ray energies interact differently with different tissue types, the flexibility inherent in the Siemens dual-source CT technology enables physicians to better differentiate and isolate tissues.
“The ability to image patients using two different X-ray energy levels has exciting potential for better isolation and characterization of neurologic, abdominal, and pelvic pathology,” added Dr. Jacobs.
Ongoing research using the Definition at NYUMC includes the evaluation, quantification, and characterization of coronary artery plaque; evaluation and quantification of liver tumors; and evaluation of neurologic abnormalities.
For more information, please contact Dr. Jill Jacobs, (212) 263-3796 or visit the Department of Radiology’s website, http://www.med.nyu.edu/radiology/.
