Innovate

Photon CT changing the CT Scan Space

Team IMT

Naeotom Alpha is the world’s first photon-counting CT scanner. (Courtesy: Siemens Healthineers)

Technological upgradation in CT scan systems has been in limited phases. Different versions of CT scans were developed but none to change the functionality of it. The photoncounting CT paves a way for a new detector to be utilised for clinical routine. These detectors defeat the limitations of the currently used CT detectors, by providing usable data at a high resolution with innate spectral information, less radiation dose, and without electronic noise.

Siemens Healthineers launched Naeotom Alpha, a photon counting CT Scanner, which the medical device major claims, is the first in the world. Photon counting CT scanner directly converts the X-Ray photons into electric signals, making it more efficient than the current CT scan technology. The exposure of radiation reduces by 45 per cent in Ultra High Resolution scans using a photon counting technology, unlike in regular CT Scan using a UHM comb filter.

Naeotom Alpha debuted in September 2021, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had granted clearance to the scanner. The FDA said in a press release that this was the "first major imaging device advancement" in CT in nearly a decade. Interestingly, Photon-counting CT measures and processes data in a different method than conventional CT instrumentation. So this could mean radiologists could get images with higher spatial resolution at lower radiation dose.

Key Difference between CT and Photon Counting Techniques

The CT scan systems in the healthcare infrastructure include solid-state scintillation detectors. The regular CT scan takes two steps to deliver the results, the first step includes conversion of absorbed X-rays into visible light, and then the light is converted into an electrical signal.

The results consider the accumulation of thousands of X-ray photons collected gradually and measured as a whole.

Distinctively, the photon-counting technology directly transforms the X-ray photons into electrical signals, delivering more usable data than the usual CT scans. The photon-counting detector measures charges and energy of the individual X-ray photons emanating inherent spectral sensitivity.

Benefits of Photon Counting Technology

High-resolution images owing to smaller pixels help the medical staff to make clinical decisions and give clarity on the health condition of the patient. It removes the electronic noise and lowers radiation exposures, both significant in regular CT scans. The alleviation in the radiation exposure allows screening for a larger pool of population suffering from lung cancer. Additionally, the intrinsic results capture the tiniest tissue of the lungs, without the pain of holding your breath.