FDA Approves Siemens’ SOMATOM Scope CT Scanner

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the SOMATOM Scope, Siemens’ new 16-slice CT scanner.

The SOMATOM Scope is expected to appeal to facilities looking to extend routine diagnostic imaging services to more patients and in more specialty settings largely because of its price point, a release said. Siemens claims that the SOMATOM Scope delivers image quality, dose reduction, and workflow-enhancing benefits “long associated” with the SOMATOM family of CT scanners.

The SOMATOM Scope includes eCockpit technology, which Siemens explains, extends the scanner’s operational lifetime by minimizing wear and tear on the most vital components of the machine. The SOMATOM Scope was designed for facilities large and small and veterinary medicine. The SOMATOM Scope comes in two configurations, which enables providers to comply with the NEMA XR-29 Smart Dose Standard and ensures a safer imaging experience for patients, a release said.

The SOMATOM Scope Power, the more robust scanner, features a stronger X-ray tube, higher performance generator, and faster rotation speeds, making it ideal for higher volume clinical settings, a release said. The SOMATOM Scope utilizes Siemens’ iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS) technology, which Siemens claims accelerates image reconstruction while reducing noise and artifacts. The SOMATOM Scope also includes Siemens’ fully assisting scanner technology (FAST) and combined applications to reduce exposure (CARE) applications that help reduce radiation exposure and standardize the CT imaging process, Siemens said.

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Siemens lauds the energy saving aspects of the SOMATOM Scope, which include low heat emissions, a low space requirement of about 130 square feet, and an eSleep mode, which puts the gantry into eSleep mode during periods of extended inactivity.

“By adding the Scope to our portfolio of SOMATOM CT scanners, we help bring CT imaging closer to the point of care, enabling our customers to focus on what matters the most: improving care through more informed, timely clinical decision-making,” Murat Gungor, vice president, computed tomography and radiation oncology business management at Siemens Healthcare, said in a release. “The SOMATOM Scope helps to ensure that a greater segment of the patient population has access to innovative technologies while enabling facilities to help control costs as well as save time and effort throughout their daily routine.”