Siemens Healthineers showed examples of cardiac computed tomography (CT) from its new Naeotom Alpha photon-counting CT scanner at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2022 meeting. The CT system was the first photon-counting CT scanner to be approved commercially, cleared by the FDA in 2021. This example shows the technology can clearly see inside coronary arteries that have heavy calcium burden. In conventional scans, the calcium would cause blooming artifacts and make it very difficult to assess the vessel lumen.
Photon-counting detectors have the potential to overcome the limitations of current CT detectors by providing CT data at high spatial resolution and without electronic noise because it does not uses direct electronic conversion of photons into images with the use of a scintillator layer.
Photon counting imaging also bins photons by their different energies, so all scans are inherently spectral CT scans. This allows them to be viewed at different energies. It also allows for the removal or dialing down of periodic elements from the images, including calcium and metal implants. This helps remove calcium blooming and metal artifacts on the images.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com