“Siemens has long been proactive in addressing dose challenges in CT, and because of the company’s foresightedness, initiative, and heavy investments in this area, Siemens is recognized as one of the leaders in the development of dose-reduction technologies for CT,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Roberto Aranibar.
Frost & Sullivan noted that although major CT equipment OEMs have recently introduced dose-­reduction technologies, “Siemens has differentiated itself through its consistent contributions of dose-reduction technologies for CT since the early 1990s.”

The company’s philosophy is based on the principle that the highest technical innovation is defined by how it meets the needs of customers to provide patients with optimal care, explains Kulin Hemani, vice president, computed tomography, Siemens Healthcare.

In 1994, Siemens released the CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) Dose4D feature, which automatically adapts radiation dose to the size and shape of the patient. Additional technologies were released throughout the 1990s, including ultrafast ceramic (UFC) detector scintillating material and an adaptive ECG-pulsing algorithm. By 2002, Siemens introduced a low-energy scanning protocol for pediatric imaging to address the challenges in an increasingly prevalent patient group where dose must more carefully be considered.
In 2005, Siemens introduced a new generation of CT scanners beginning with the Somatom Definition, the first dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner. In 2007, the momentum of dose reduction continued with the introduction of Adaptive Dose Shield, a feature that further limited unnecessary irradiation of tissue. A year later, Siemens Somatom Definition Flash produced images at a considerable dose reduction.

Siemens’ latest dose-reduction technology, Iterative Reconstruction in Image Space (IRIS), aides in the reduction of image noise without the loss of quality or detail visualization. The significant noise reduction provided by IRIS allows for up to 60% radiation dose reduction in routine clinical use.

The Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership of the Year Award is given each year to a company that has demonstrated excellence in technology leadership within its industry. The recipient company has demonstrated technology leadership by excelling in all stages of the technology life cycle­. By innovating leading-edge concepts, the company has pioneered client applications.