by
Keri Stephens, Contributing Reporter | January 28, 2026
Canon Medical is focusing on AI-driven innovation during image acquisition and reconstruction rather than post-processing. Naoki Sugihara, vice president and general manager of the company's CT division, cites the 320-slice Aquilion One/Insight Edition's Clear Motion Cardiac technology, an AI-enabled motion correction that sharpens images in difficult-to-scan patients. Canon is also extending its Precise IQ Engine to multi-slice scanners, a move, Sugihara maintains, that expands access to higher-quality CT imaging across care settings.
The rise of photon-counting CT
Siemens Healthineers launched the first commercial photon-counting CT system in 2021 and has introduced other new photon-counting systems since then. The detectors on these scanners convert individual X-ray photons into electrical signals, providing higher resolution and lower radiation dose than conventional CT. Photon-counting CT has “broken historic barriers in imaging,” says Dedman, enabling advanced clarity in cardiac imaging and detection of subtle oncology lesions.
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Philips is also advancing the technology, though Xu emphasizes it remains early-stage. The focus, he says, is on expanding spectral imaging. “Philips has been a leader in detector-based spectral imaging for over a decade,” Xu says. Products like Verida produce high-definition conventional and spectral images within a PACS-ready workflow, he adds.
Xu adds that as photon-counting technology matures, the focus is on delivering practical value: simpler workflows, lower system complexity, manageable service models, and real diagnostic impact. “We see photon-counting as part of a broader strategy to bring high-quality spectral imaging to everyone, not just for niche use cases,” he says.
GE HealthCare's 510(k)-pending Photonova Spectra is a photon-counting system that utilizes proprietary Deep Silicon detector technology to support advanced tissue characterization and disease quantification, Rowland says. “We’re pushing the boundaries of quantitative imaging with innovations like this.”
Service pressures shape CT design
Tackling CT service pressures comes down to design and support, Rowland maintains. He says at GE HealthCare, the focus is on reliability and simplified maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime, while remote diagnostics and predictive analytics resolve many issues without an onsite visit.
