Ensuring patients receive the best care with the lowest possible radiation dose, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has introduced new software that automatically reduces radiation dose during CT exams. Unlike other "step and shoot" methods SURECardio Prospective reduces breath holds for better patient compliance while reducing radiation dose as much as 80 percent with no increase in contrast.

Step and shoot methods may often result in inconclusive tests for patients with irregular heartbeats. This may require additional scans, increasing patient radiation and contrast dose. SURECardio Prospective's unique software algorithms automatically recognize these patient arrhythmias and eliminate duplicate tests.

Hardware Aims at Radiation Reduction, Too

The company's Aquilion ONE™ is its advanced diagnostic imaging system that promised to revolutionize patient care because it can help reduce diagnosis time for life threatening diseases like stroke and heart disease from days and hours to mere minutes. For the first time, physicians can see not only a three-dimensional depiction of an organ, but also the organ's dynamic blood flow and function. Unlike any other CT system, the Aquilion ONE can scan one organ - including the heart, brain and others - in one rotation because it covers up to 16 cm of anatomy using 320 ultra high resolution 0.5mm detector elements. This reduces exam time, as well as radiation and contrast dose, and dramatically increases diagnostic confidence. With the Aquilion ONE, the organ or area is captured in a single rotation at one moment in time, eliminating the need to reconstruct slices from multiple points in time.

With its ability to perform uniquely comprehensive exams, including functional studies, the Aquilion ONE reduces the need for multiple, duplicative tests and invasive procedures. As a result of this breakthrough technology, healthcare costs can be reduced because unnecessary tests can be eliminated and diagnosis times are faster.

More Industry Headlines