Siemens Healthineers announced today that its SOMATOM Confidence RT Pro CT scanner received FDA clearance for radiation therapy planning. Standard RT treatment is built on 120 kV CT images, but this new system can provide personalized imaging for each patient.

"We have designed technology that will allow the radiation oncology community to image patients at any kV setting, and not not only that, but we don't mess up the workflow," Guillaume Grousset, senior director of marketing of the radiation oncology business line at Siemens, told HCB News.

Standard RT planning doesn't compensate for age, gender, disease state or the image system that's used. It's built on 120 kV CT images, which aren't optimized for precise contouring. SOMATOM Confidence RT Pro generates images that are optimized for contouring and dose calculating.
Its DirectDensity algorithm can reconstruct images in which values are interpreted as relative electron density at any kV setting. Its iMAR metal artifact reduction, CARE kV and new detector improve image quality and dual energy performance.

"We want to help the radiation oncology community choose the right settings for the optimal image quality," said Grousset. "People have been using 120 kv forever and have never questioned it, but now you can use whatever you want."

The new syngo.via RT image suite software complements the SOMATOM Confidence RT Pro by helping radiation oncologists with image assessment, contouring and patient marking. In addition, its client-server-based architecture allows easy adaptation to the needs of RF staff regardless of whether they're in the CT console, physician office or dosimetry lab.

"[Radiation oncologists] tell us that they want to be able to define the target," said Grousset. "We are trying to find ways to get there and this is one of them."

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