The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, has gone live with a Somatom Sensation 64 CT system and Magnetom Espree MR system from Siemens Medical Solutions.
The Somatom Sensation 64 system is reported to bring exceptional image quality and detail to improve diagnostics. This enables CT scans to be completed with sedation rather than anaesthetic and enables rapid scanning in paediatrics, improving patient care. In addition, the larger range of clinical applications will enable The Royal Hospital for Sick Children to discover additional clinical fields and therefore increase the number of referrals.
With the industry’s highest routine isotropic resolution of 0.33 mm, the CT system in 64-slice configuration enables The Royal Hospital for Sick Children to obtain up to 64 slices per rotation with previously unknown sharpness, diagnostic detail and clarity. This image quality and detail enables extremely rapid single source CT imaging. With a gantry rotation time of just 0.33 seconds, the system can rapidly image the smallest pathology and finest anatomical structures, whether complex inner-ear bones or the finest vessels of the coronary tree. For example, the hospital can now scan a thorax using submillimetre collimation routinely in only four seconds. In addition dosage has been reduced by up to 68%.
Patient care is also enhanced by the Open Bore design of the Magnetom Espree with its ample CT-like space and reduced noise. This is less intimidating for children than conventional systems, meaning patients are more relaxed throughout their examination. The combination of Open Bore MRI with Tim (Total imaging matrix) technology, provides High-field Open Bore, enabling a wide range of applications. The power of 1.5T combined with Tim technology boosts signal-to-noise and the Tim coils make it easy to adjust and easy to tolerate. With a spacious 30 cm (one foot) of headroom and a 55.5 cm (1’10’’) patient gap, the new system provides patients with CT-like comfort and is much less threatening.
