A Medical Device Daily

Siemens Medical Solutions USA (Malvern, Pennsylvania) received FDA clearance for the Somatom Definition AS, an adaptive CT scanner.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC; Charleston) is one of the first facilities to install the scanner, adding to the Somatom Definition Dual Source MUSC installed in September 2006.

The Adaptive 4-D Spiral mode of the Somatom Definition AS is able to address functional imaging (perfusion images of blood flow over time) of whole organs. This allows Siemens to offer dynamic information of up to 27 cm. In the case of a stroke, physicians can use whole-organ perfusion imaging not only for a small part of the brain, but for all of it.

The Somatom Definition AS comes in multiple configurations, each of which is tailored to a hospital's workflow and clinical needs. The technology couples multiple components in a dynamic manner: a large-volume coverage area with a 200-cm scan range and up to 300 msec rotation time, 78-cm gantry bore, and the ability to add a high-capacity 660-pound patient table.

"The Somatom Definition AS goes beyond slices and detector rows to addresses the overall versatility and usefulness of a CT scanner," said Joseph Schoepf, MD, associate professor of radiology and cardiology, and director of CT research and development at MUSC. "It truly allows you to adapt the CT scanning to your individual patients."