"The value of investing in a scanner equipped with the most effective dose reduction technologies is becoming increasingly evident as studies suggesting the risks of higher exposure to ionizing radiation continue to surface," says Aranibar. "The long-term patient benefits of these technologies far outweigh their often higher purchase costs."

This is particularly evident in facilities performing high volumes of coronary exams, where procedures often take up to an hour and a half without DSCT due to the need to administer slow-acting beta-blockers to patients with fast and/or irregular heart rhythms so that images of adequate quality can be obtained. The speed of DSCT eliminates the need for beta-blockers regardless of a patient's heart rate or regularity, permitting routine completion of coronary exams in less than 15 minutes and, thus, yielding significant improvements in productivity. DSCT also makes CT available to patients who would have previously been ineligible due to their high and/or irregular heart rates and inability to handle beta-blockers. The speed of DSCT also results in significant advantages in acute care and emergency room applications by eliminating the need for patients to lie still or hold their breath.


"Siemens has not only integrated its dose reduction technologies into numerous CT models, ranging from entry-level, dual-slice scanners to premium-grade, 256-slice DSCT scanners but also put its CT technologies to use in areas beyond the scope of medical imaging," notes Aranibar. "For instance, the ability of Siemens's UFC technology to provide high-resolution images in fractions of a second has been used to improve the performance of equipment used in airport security X-ray and automotive applications of non-destructive testing."

Siemens Healthcare invests 9 to 11 percent of its annual revenues on R&D. Over 5,000 of the company's employees work in roles dedicated to R&D, generating an average of five patents per business day. Ninety percent of the company's sales are for products which are less than three years old. In 2005 alone, Siemens Healthcare was estimated to have had over 1,300 invention disclosures and 1,000 patent filings, with over 3,700 active patents as of the end of FY 2005.

Overall, Siemens has a long history and proven track record of developing and introducing technologies that have ultimately had a major impact on shaping the role and capabilities of CT in medicine. With the introduction of the DSCT scanner - perhaps the company's most unique and distinctive new technology - Siemens has clearly shown its pioneering spirit in CT. While the future impact of DSCT in CT imaging is still uncertain, the eventual adoption of this technology as an industry standard would solidify Siemens's reputation as a visionary in the field of CT.

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