Molecular CT adds metabolic information from PET to traditional CT and enables truly integrated diagnostic imaging for maximized workflow efficiency and quick return on investment

MUNICH, Germany, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens Healthcare (www.siemens.com/healthcare) introduces molecular CT, a new concept in integrated imaging that provides a premium imaging platform, and is a practical solution for today's shrinking healthcare budget. This new technology, Biograph mCT, represents the evolution of integration in imaging; a CT with molecular capabilities, a PET scanner with unlimited capabilities in CT, and a high performance integrated imager that an be used to achieve true collaboration and cooperation between diagnostic imaging specialties.

'As the inventor of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), Siemens wants to lead the evolution of hybrid imaging to maximize innovations and make them available where they will have the most impact,' said Dr. Bernd Montag, CEO, Siemens Healthcare, Imaging and IT Division, Erlangen, Germany. 'With Biograph mCT, we've taken the best Siemens has to offer in CT and enabled the introduction of 'smart' contrast -- molecular contrast -- using the most advanced PET technology available,' he said, at the Siemens Forum in Munich, where the new system was first shown to a select group of customers from around the world.

Biograph mCT is the ideal solution for an integrated imaging environment. It was designed to obtain functional, anatomical and molecular information from one, noninvasive diagnostic exam, and adapts to virtually any patient and any clinical need with higher resolution, contrast and speed. The clinician has the option of using the industry's highest resolution CT in conjunction with the high-definition PET technology or as a standalone CT. Depending on the case, molecular contrast can be used for additional metabolic information. Biograph mCT is the only imaging device to offer whole-body PET-CT scanning in just five minutes(1), a revolutionary feature that optimizes flexibility and efficiency.

From an investment standpoint, using one, all-encompassing scanner is a highly efficient means of making the most of an institution's imaging equipment and strengthening the existing workflows between radiology and molecular imaging.

'Biograph mCT is the quintessential definition of efficiency; one team, one room, one machine, and one comfortable patient,' said Montag. 'It offers the potential of diagnosing disease earlier and more effective management of disease at reduced costs.