Siemens Healthineers has obtained new clearances from the FDA for its photon-counting CT scanners, expanding its lineup with two machines aimed at bringing the imaging technology to a wider range of facilities.
The company received the agency’s first green light for such a system in 2021, with the Naeotom Alpha—a scanner capable of measuring X-rays individually to construct 3D images with greater detail into anatomy that may be too small to see with conventional CT approaches. The company said the system has since been used to scan more than 1 million patients worldwide.
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That machine will be renamed the Naeotom Alpha.Peak, and billed as the premium member of a family welcoming two new additions: the Naeotom Alpha.Pro and Naeotom Alpha.Prime.
The mid-range Alpha.Pro includes dual-source hardware, with two pairs of X-ray emitters and detectors for faster and more precise scans. The company said its capabilities—including imaging speeds of 491 millimeters-per-second, compared to the Alpha.Peak’s 737—make it suitable for lung scans, where patients can hold their breath for less time, as well as for imaging the beating heart or in pediatrics, where children may have trouble keeping still.
The Alpha.Prime is geared toward broader, ambulatory use, such as examinations in emergency rooms. It also marks Siemens Healthineers’ first single-source photon-counting machine, with scan times of 345 mm/sec.
All Naeotom Alpha models employ the company’s artificial intelligence programs to help automate certain diagnostics and imaging workflow processes.