Siemens Healthcare has received FDA 510(k) market clearance for four new applications aimed at simplifying the diagnosis of diseases of the heart, brain, lungs, and extremity joints.

The four new dual-energy applications, presented by Siemens at the meeting of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2008 in Vienna, Austria, supplement the six existing CT applications with dual energy features:

• syngo DE Direct Angio for the distinction of bone and vessel structures, particularly if the vessels are located directly next to the bone;
• syngo DE Lung PBV for perfusion assessment of the lung tissue;
• syngo DE Musculoskeletal for the display of ligaments and tendons; and
• syngo DE Calculi Characterization for the automatic distinction of the biochemical composition of renal calculi (e.g., uric acid or calcium).

With a dual X-ray tube and dual-detector design, the Somatom Definition routinely provides images at twice the temporal resolution, twice the speed, and twice the power of single-source systems, according to Siemens.

"The Somatom Definition moves CT to an entirely new dimension of diagnostic sensitivity where contrast in the image is not merely limited to x-ray attenuation differences, but may include elements of functional and tissue characterization. This additional information may be used to improve diagnostic outcomes and to simplify complex workflows," explains Peter Kingma, vice president of CT, Siemens. "The Definition already offers enhanced resolution, speed, and power. Now, we are adding convenience of use to the mix.”