Siemens Healthcare has launched the advanced Biograph mCT for performing positron emission tomography-computed scanning for achieving precise measurement of various metabolic processes and quantification of the measured data.
Biograph mCT PET-CT System
The Biograph is capable of imaging neurological disease, cancer affected tissues and cardiac blood flow (perfusion). The technology will be introduced as part of the global initiative Agenda 2013. A professor of radiological sciences at the University of Minnesota explained that the Biograph from Siemens is capable of measuring the myocardial blood flow, which is an important parameter in assessing multi-vessel disease. The scanner is extremely useful in neurological measurements for making non-invasive measurement procedures.
Physicians who treat oncological, neurological and cardiological diseases are of the opinion that by using the Biograph mCT, they are able to conduct precise diagnosis and also plan their therapy in a better fashion. Neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia are treated and detected better with the Biograph mCT. The new PET biomarkers with the Biograph mCT provide more reliable imaging of the beta-amyloid plaque present in the brain, which provides additional clues to diagnose dementia. The Biograph is capable of producing more reliable and reproducible results in PET-CT imaging by working on every element of the imaging chain. Importance is given to providing images of highest volume resolution which are calibrated and of accurate attenuation correction. The system is run with automated algorithms which are not dependent on the user and able to reproduce SUV calculation methods. Siemens has integrated the OptisoHD Detector System into the Biograph for providing finest volumetric resolution to a depth of 87 mm3. Other advanced features in the device are time of flight and high definition PET for acquiring fast and precise images by exposing the patient to a minimum radiation dose. The normalization of the system is performed on a daily basis with the help of Siemens Quanti QC system for acquiring precise and optimised performance. FDA is currently reviewing the Biograph mCT. Inherent issues such as scanner drift and inaccurate attenuation are eliminated by using Siemens Molecular & Anatomical Registration Technologies (SMART) while capturing images of anatomy and functional parts. In order to provide accurate attenuation correction the device is enhanced with auto cardiac registration for easy alignment with CT and PET heart images with minimum variability. The SMART system allows for the correction of neurological images independent of the availability of CT data.