Our Technology(Computed Tomography) Siemens SOMATOM Force Ultra-Fast Dual Source CT Scanner

Siemens SOMATOM Force Ultra-Fast Dual Source CT Scanner

Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital is the one of the first medical institutions worldwide to introduce the Siemens SOMATOM Force Ultra-Fast Dual Source CT Scanner. SOMATOM Force is the third generation dual source CT, which incorporates two X-ray tube and two detector systems in the gantry and thus contributes to its ultra fast scan speed and versatile scanning capabilities.

Unlike conventional CT scanners, SOMATOM Force can scan patients at speed up to 737 millimeter per second, at 0.24mm spatial resolution and at routinely low radiation dose and contrast media dose. The ultra-fast scan speed allows whole abdomen scanning in a fraction of 1 second without requiring the patients to hold breath frequently. The low-noise images with best-in-class spatial resolution allow delineation of fine details, giving doctors ever precise information for making accurate diagnoses. Scanning with lower energy X-ray, SOMATOM Force allows CT scan at routinely low radiation dose. For example, the radiation dose of a low-dose Chest CT is equivalent to one Chest X-ray while providing much more information critical to diagnosis. It also requires less contrast media, making it especially beneficial to patients with renal diseases who cannot efficiently excrete the contrast media.

SOMATOM Force is also designed for functional and dynamic studies such as whole heart myocardium perfusion, dynamic GI breed scan and 80cm peripheral vascular scan, as well as dual energy studies for tissue characterisation. Doctors can have a more precise understanding of the diseases before treatment to ensure better procedure success. Patients are spared from repetitive examinations and invasive procedures. It means timely treatment and lower healthcare expenditure.

Clinical Applications:

Cardiology: nearly 100% success in scanning of patients with very high heart rate and arrhythmia, myocardium perfusion, triple-rule out in less than 1 second.
General: low-dose chest CT, dynamic CTA for endoleak and vascular diseases, organ perfusion analysis.
Neurology: head-neck perfusion-CTA in a single scan, inner ear imaging.
Peripheral: dynamic vascular analysis.
Paediatric: 70kV low radiation examination, no sedation ultra-fast scan for newborns.
Dual energy: renal stone characterisation, lung analysis, tumor blood uptake analysis, etc.

Summary of Features and Clinical Benefits:

Ultra-fast 737 millimeter per second scan speed (4 times faster than a 64-row CT) – it minimises the need to hold breath, and eliminates the need for sedation for infants
Ultra-fine 0.24 mm spatial resolution for all scans (30% better than common CT) – more precise diagnosis with fine details
0.25 second rotation time and 66 millisecond temporal resolution – high-quality cardiac imaging for patients with any heart rate / arrhythmia
High power reserve (240kW) for low kV (low energy) imaging – it reduced health risk with lower radiation dose and amount of contrast medium
Selective Photon Shields to filter X-ray for ultra low dose lung screening – earlier diagnosis of lung cancer at a radiation dose as low as that of chest X-ray
Dual source dual energy scan – it provides not only morphology information but also material differentiation within the tissues for a more precise diagnosis
Up to 80cm dynamic study – it allows functional studies to support more precise diagnoses