Siemens Healthineers launches its Somatom X.ceed, a new high-resolution, high-speed computed tomography (CT) scanner. To support medical staff in their workflows during critical situations, two “companions” for automated user guidance are integrated: myExam Companion guides users through diagnostic procedures; myNeedle Companion supports targeted needle path planning as well as laser-guided insertion across multiple modalities. As a result, the fastest single-source CT scanner from Siemens Healthineers can assist healthcare providers with their clinical decisions in areas like emergency imaging, cardiac CT, and CT-guided interventions.
Somatom X.ceed has an 82cm bore and a “user-friendly” tablet operation, Siemens state in a press release. The integration of myExam Companion allow the system to achieve high-speed and high spatial resolution, key for cardiac, emergency, and spectral imaging.
myNeedle Companion for minimally invasive treatment
CT is one of the most used imaging modalities when cross-sectional image guidance is needed for percutaneous interventional procedures, like biopsies, ablations, or pain therapy. Almost 50% of sites perform at least three CT-guided interventions per day. In these procedures, time and precision are critical. But the time needed, and the success rate, depend greatly on the users and their experience level. Patient cooperation influences the success rate as well. Complex hardware and user interfaces or limited guidance may even increase these challenges and lead to variations in outcome.
Siemens claim that myNeedle Companion simplifies the workflow in minimally invasive treatments. myNeedle Companion is a unique combination of hardware and software designed to greatly reduce the complexity in CT-guided interventions. In addition, it is the first universal solution with a harmonised user interface for the planning and guidance of percutaneous needle procedures across imaging modalities, be it for a CT or an angiography system. Once the workflow is trained on one modality, the training efforts on another modality are expected to be much shorter. This can help to reduce unwarranted variations and minimise training efforts. Familiar user interfaces let the radiologist concentrate on what matters: accurate needle positioning with the help of the unique myNeedle Laser, a powerful, fully-integrated option that projects the needle entry point and insertion angle directly on the body of the patient—even in advanced double-angulated procedures with multiple needle paths.
Emergency and cardiovascular procedures are challenging and growing clinical areas for CT
Emergency radiology is rapidly evolving. In the last 20 years the demand for CT-imaging in emergency departments has increased by 250%. In a busy emergency environment, inefficient workflow can slow down radiologists who need to triage patients and perform multiple, demanding tasks quickly. With the support of myExam Companion, staff members can speed up procedures from patient preparation to image evaluation. Applications powered by artificial intelligence provide ready-to-read results aimed to facilitate diagnostic tasks.
The ability of cardiac CT to rapidly evaluate multiple cardiovascular conditions has allowed CT to become an important diagnostic instrument for steadily rising numbers in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). From 2011 to 2019, CT cardiac procedures more than doubled from 1.4 to 3 million. These procedures, some of the most complex in CT, are now performed routinely by staff of all skills levels. Here, as in emergency imaging, myExam Companion plays a major role in guiding the user towards more standardised results and low dose levels.
“As the number and complexity of radiological procedures increase, demands on staff are reaching heightened levels. This continues to cause unwarranted variation, in both diagnostic and interventional procedures. Somatom X.ceed, together with myNeedle Companion, is a true game changer for CT-guided interventions. After the introduction of myExam Companion last year, reducing the overall complexity of scanner operation in as many aspects as possible was our next logical step,” says Philipp Fischer, head of CT at Siemens Healthineers.
