Making the Rounds with Dr. Mitch Amish

Can you imagine having a CT scan that is done in a flash? One that is so fast you don't even have to hold your breath. Well, there is such a scanner, the Somatom Definition Flash. Siemen's Somatom Definition Flash is a dual source, dual detector CT scanner.

Let me explain how this scanner is able to work so quickly. The gantry rotates about its own axis in a mere 0.28 seconds. This rotational speed is what enables it to scan speedier than traditional CTs; its temporal resolution is 75ms. You are moved through this CT tube more than twice as fast as with any conventional system.

The Somatom Definition Flash is safer for you too. Scans acquired with this machine require a much lower dose of radiation than other CT scanners. Here's an example. The average effective dose for a heart CT scanner ranges from 8mSv to 40mSv; however, Siemen's Somatom Definition Flash scanner gets by with less than 1mSv. And get this; you are exposed to about 2mSv to 5mSv yearly, just from natural sources.

Let's say you are 6'6". You can now have a whole-body scan completed in less than five seconds. Before the Somatom Definition Flash came along, that scan would take more than 10 minutes to perform. This is an advantage for the elderly, children, emergency care and ICU patients.

A scan of your entire heart can be performed in just 250ms, which is less than half a heart beat. In addition to that, it is possible for your physicians to reliably display a heart with a fast pulse or an irregular heart beat without using beta blockers. This simplifies the workflow and yields clinical and financial advantages.

Without having to apply the higher radiation dose that was previously required, the contrast in CT scans will be increased. This is achieved through a new, selective photon shield that blocks unnecessary parts of the energy spectrum. What this means is that it provides improved separation of the two simultaneous scans with low and high photon energy without causing a higher radiation exposure. This is the first time ever that it can be used to classify the chemical composition of tissues via a CT scan in daily work.

This scanner seems to do it all… and in a flash.