New Scanner Slashes Radiation Emissions

Siemens Healthcare has unveiled a new CT Scanner that emits a fraction of the CT radiation that traditional screening techniques give off. The Somatom Definition Flash scanner is also said to be faster and more precise, with two X-Ray tubes that revolve around the patient's body. Siemens says the entire chest region can be screened in 0.6 seconds. This new added efficiency means patients will no longer have to hold their breath during a chest examination as the previously had to.

Director of CT Physics at Siemens Thomas Flohr was thrilled to say,

"The dual-source system together with the extremely fast rotation time results in a scanner about three times faster than existing technologies. You can scan the entire body in about four seconds, or the entire heart in a quarter of a second."

This new scanner will be released in early 2009, and will be presented to the Radiological Society of North America in November. Not only will this new technology be faster, but most importantly may be safer for patients.

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