Medical University of South Carolina Becomes One of the First Clinical Installations of World's First Adaptive CT Scanner MALVERN, Pa., June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. (http://www.siemens.com/healthcare) has received FDA 510(k) market clearance for the SOMATOM(R) Definition AS, the world's first adaptive CT scanner. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston is one of the first facilities to install the scanner, adding to the SOMATOM Definition Dual Source MUSC installed in September 2006. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080609/NYM026) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) The SOMATOM Definition AS adapts to virtually any patient, adapts for complete dose protection, adapts for new dimensions, and adapts to the user's space. "The SOMATOM Definition AS goes beyond slices and detector rows to addresses the overall versatility and usefulness of a CT scanner," said Dr. Joseph Schoepf, associate professor of Radiology and Cardiology, and director of CT Research and Development at MUSC. "It truly allows you to adapt the CT scanning to your individual patients." The SOMATOM Definition AS provides tremendous benefit with the Adaptive Dose Shield technology, eliminating unnecessary overradiation. "Siemens is constantly focused on improving diagnostic quality while reducing dose in computed tomography. Patient safety has consistently been, and still is, our number one priority. With our SOMATOM product family we continuously develop new ideas and solutions for maintaining ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) guidelines to achieve success and to integrate these developments into our systems for dose reduction and improvement in patient safety." Peter Kingma, vice president, Computed Tomography, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. Until now, many CT vendors have fallen prey to unnecessary dose both before and at the end of the spiral scan range, which has been a function of spiral multi-slice imaging. As detector size and slice counts grow, the "pre and post over scan range" problem becomes more acute, particularly where older gantry designs are simply updated with newer detector designs to save cost for the manufacturer. Only Siemens' unique Adaptive Dose Shield addresses this growing issue by dynamically blocking the unnecessary dose before and after the spiral scan, ensuring that the only dose applied to the patient is dose that is clinically relevant. The SOMATOM Definition AS adapts to each patient's clinical situation and also opens the door to new applications in CT imaging. The unique Adaptive 4D Spiral mode of the SOMATOM Definition AS is able to address functional imaging (perfusion images of blood flow over time) of whole organs. This allows Siemens to offer dynamic information of up to 27 cm. In the case of a stroke, physicians can use whole-organ perfusion imaging not only for a small part of the brain, but for all of it. "A SOMATOM Definition CT scanner transforms itself into a stroke unit, a noninvasive cath lab, a therapy management tool for cancer patients, or an interventional suite - all according to the need of the individual patient," said Kingma. "All of these advances work to improve the quality of patient management and overall efficiency of healthcare, while keeping the costs down." "Clinical needs have shifted and we have seen a significant upswing in the number of patients who undergo bariatric surgery," said Schoepf. "In the past, we were limited by the bore size and the table weight, but the SOMATOM Definition AS allows us to adapt to the needs of this group of patients." The SOMATOM Definition AS comes in multiple configurations, each of which is tailored to a hospital's workflow and clinical needs, with a goal to make the most complex procedures routine. The technology couples multiple components in a dynamic manner: a large-volume coverage area with a 200-cm scan range and up to 300 msec rotation time, 78-cm gantry bore, and the ability to add a high-capacity 660-pound patient table. These features allow even the most clinically challenging patients (i.e., trauma patients) to be imaged rapidly, from head to toe, without difficulty. The Definition AS is available in 40-slice, 64-slice, and 128-slice configurations. It can be field upgraded to other configurations with minimal downtime. This allows the technology to grow with the institution's needs while minimizing downtime and loss of service. In addition to its extraordinary performance, the SOMATOM Definition AS is able to adapt to the space constraints many facilities face today. It requires very little floor space, with an 18-m2 footprint. This allows the Definition AS to fit into rooms that have traditionally been too small for high-end CT scanners. About Siemens Healthcare Siemens Healthcare is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first fully integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care - from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Additionally, Siemens is the global market leader in innovative hearing instruments. The company employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of Euro 9.85 billion, orders of Euro 10.27 billion, and group profit of Euro 1.32 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/healthcare. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080609/NYM026 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. CONTACT: Tom Schaffner, Siemens AG, +1-610-448-1477, Web site: http://www.siemens.com/healthcare

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