MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif./PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the computed tomography (CT) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Siemens Healthcare with the 2010 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Leadership of the Year.

Overexposure to ionizing radiation during CT is a long-recognized problem but the industry focus on providing dose-reducing solutions has lagged considerably. While all major CT equipment manufacturers have recently began introducing new dose reduction technologies, Siemens Healthcare has differentiated itself through its consistent contributions of dose reduction technologies for CT since the early 1990s.

In 2006, Americans were exposed to more than seven times as much ionizing radiation from medical procedures than they were in the early 1980s, and nearly 25 percent of the total radiation exposure of the U.S. population came from CT procedures. This dramatic increase in Americans' exposure to ionizing radiation is largely a result of CT procedure volumes undergoing more than a twenty-fold increase over the last quarter century, from approximately 3 million exams in 1980 to 68 million in 2006.
"Siemens has long been proactive in addressing dose challenges in CT, and because of the company's foresightedness, initiative, and heavy investments in this area, Siemens is recognized as a leader in the development of dose reduction technologies for CT," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Roberto Aranibar. "Even the earliest of the company's innovations in this area continue to be effective in addressing current dose challenges despite the rapidly changing technology landscape of CT."

Beginning in 1994 with the release of the CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) Dose4D feature, Siemens has continuously introduced novel and safe products and features in its scanners. In 1997, Siemens introduced the ultra fast ceramic (UFC) detector scintillating material. In 1999, the company developed an Adaptive ECG-Pulsing algorithm. Siemens's introduction of a low-energy scanning protocol in 2002 for pediatric imaging continued to address challenges in an increasingly prevalent patient group where dose must more carefully be considered. In 2005, a new generation of CT scanners was born, with Siemens's introduction of the world's first dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner, the SOMATOM Definition. Siemens's innovative momentum continued in 2007, with its introduction of Adaptive Dose Shield, a feature which further limited unnecessary irradiation of tissue. The years of 2008 and 2009 witnessed several more dose reduction technology contributions from Siemens, many of which have served to enhance the performance of the SOMATOM Definition Flash.

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