On the 27 February 2013, Toshiba announced that it would be showcased at the European Society of Radiology’s (ECR) Annual Meeting (7–11 March 2013, Vienna, Austria). The Aquilion ONE/ ViSION Edition is said by the company to have faster rotation speed of just 0.275 seconds which is applicable for all routine applications. A wider 78 cm gantry bore improves patient comfort and access. In combination with AIDR 3D, the ViSION Edition provides fast and robust low dose imaging for all patient examinations with negligible impact of reconstruction time, according Toshiba.
The 16cm z-axis coverage allows entire organs such as the heart to be imaged in just one rotation. The ViSION Edition has also introduced 3D CT Fluoroscopy, which allows the physician to visualise interventional procedures in multiple planes for greater ease and improved safety. These newly introduced iterative reconstruction algorithms provide sharp resolution of the lungs and soft tissue resolution in the one image, because of this reading time is shortened.
SURESubtraction is a new subtraction technique providing high resolution bone removal in neuro, carotid and orthopaedic applications. The non-rigid position matching technology provides highly accurate CT DSA studies for diagnosis. This technology is set to change the way physicians perform and read CTA studies.
Toshiba’s patented hybrid drive converts energy during deceleration of the gantry and generates electricity that is recycled to power gantry components. The company said this reduces power consumption and reduces carbon footprint.
New generation Aquilion PRIME 80 and 160 slices
The new generation Aquilion PRIME, available in 80 and 160 slice configurations is being showcased at ECR 2013. The Aquilion PRIME series features the Quantum detector with 80 rows of 0.5mm elements, providing high quality isotropic images for all patient examinations and is smaller in size.
AIDR 3D, iterative reconstruction, has been implemented for all clinical applications providing optimal dose saving, including advanced applications such as Shuttle Brain Perfusion, Dual Energy and 3D CT Fluoroscopy. Reconstruction speeds with AIDR 3D, can be up to 60 images per second on the new PRIME.
The new Aquilion PRIME also includes InstaView reconstruction technology, providing near-instant display and review of full resolution images. High quality real-time image review is perfectly suited for the emergency patient, where every second to diagnosis counts.
“We were looking for a scanner that was future-proofed for up to 10 years. We have found that with the Aquilion PRIME,” said Nigel Lewis, clinical service manager, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. “The small footprint combined with its large diameter gantry bore was attractive. Additionally, the applications packages like InstaView and HybridView with fast reconstruction are easily integrated with our protocols and workflows. We could not compare it with anything else as it is the highest spec helical CT scanner available. Aquilion PRIME will enable us to carry out higher throughputs of work across a wider range and variety of disease states.”
Astelion series
AIDR 3D iterative reconstruction found in Toshiba’s premium level CT systems is included as a standard feature on Astelion. Dose reduction of up to 75% is available for all clinical scans making CT examinations safer for patients.
