Malvern, Pa. - Siemens Healthcare has announced that the SOMATOM Definition Edge single-source computed tomography (CT) system - the first single-source CT to use Siemens' recently introduced Stellar Detector - has been approved for sale in the United States. With ever-greater patient volumes in the Emergency Department (ED) setting, where 40 percent* of CT examinations are performed, hospital demand is increasing for more efficient and cost-effective imaging solutions. With these escalating ED needs in mind, Siemens designed the SOMATOM Definition Edge CT system, which demonstrates Siemens' innovation and competitiveness - goals of the Healthcare Sector's Agenda 2013 two-year global initiative.

The system's revolutionary Stellar Detector - which for the first time fully integrates the detector's miniaturized electronics with the photodiode - has the potential to significantly reduce electronic noise and cross-talk and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images. With the Stellar Detector, the SOMATOM Definition Edge can generate ultra-thin slices to deliver an extremely high spatial resolution with an optimal signal-to-noise ratio and without any increase in dose. The increased spatial resolution may potentially benefit critical cases such as emergency diagnostics and cardiovascular examinations, where every additional visible micrometer can be beneficial.

"Physicians are potentially able to visualize even the finest details of the vascular system or micro fractures of the bone, which may potentially provide more detailed information when they are attempting to identify coronary artery blockages or subtle spinal fractures that, if undiscovered, could result in paralysis," says Kulin Hemani, U.S. vice president of CT, Siemens Healthcare. "These revolutionary innovations have the potential to help clinicians make more sound diagnoses, even for the most challenging cases such as trauma and bariatric patients. This is part of our continuing commitment to excellence in patient care, particularly in the ED environment."
The SOMATOM Definition Edge CT system can enable visualization of structures up to 0.30 millimeters, with potential improvement in image sharpness. Siemens' fastest single-source CT scanner, the SOMATOM Definition Edge has a rotation speed as fast as 0.28 seconds and can acquire up to 23 cm/s. And the new Dual Energy mode enables the system to scan at two different tube voltages to help better characterize tissue types.

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