Siemens expands its imaging portfolio with the addition of the Biograph TruePoint 16-slice PET-CT imager. The Biograph TruePoint PET-CT imaging family is the first portfolio of imaging systems to include High-Definition PET-CT and now expands its offering with 16-slice CT capabilities. The Biograph TruePoint 16-slice PET-CT will be highlighted this week at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna, Austria. ”The introduction of this particular system is critical as we continue to search for the balance between innovation and access. The likelihood that universal adoption of PET-CT technology will increase with accessibility is a shared industry vision. As an industry leader, it is our responsibility to make that vision more readily attainable,” said Michael Reitermann, CEO, Molecular Imaging, Siemens Healthcare. “The Biograph TruePoint 16-slice PET-CT is a means to achieve that end, with high performance technology housed in an economical package.” As the US and international economies struggle to increase the quality of patient care and, simultaneously, reduce healthcare costs, Biograph TruePoint 16-slice PET-CT represents a viable solution for healthcare providers. Offering an affordable and reliable imaging system with high-performance capabilities, the 16-slice Biograph PET-CT offers features, such as High-Definition PET and routine 10-minute, whole-body imaging. The system is built for patient comfort and reflects features of the Siemens flagship Biograph mCT model. It is equipped with a 500-pound (227 kg) capacity patient bed and efficient workflow system. The system offers faster scan speeds at lower patient doses; important when patients need multiple scans for oncology treatment planning and follow-up. The complete Biograph family of PET-CT imagers now offers options in TruePoint PET-CT for 6-, 16-, 40- and 64-slice CT configurations, as well as the Biograph mCT technology platform with 40-, 64- and 128-CT slice capabilities. The expanding Biograph family of imagers continues to be a comprehensive portfolio of solutions with upgrade possibilities and non-obsolescence protection. The new Biograph 16-slice PET-CT system is also mobile-ready, equipped to maximize on-location patient throughput with fast, 10-minute imaging. The Biograph 16-slice PET-CT offers 2 mm uniform PET resolution throughout the field of view and a two-time improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, which provides for small lesion detection. Fast scanning and low patient radiation dose is accomplished through Siemens TrueV extended PET field of view. Providers can achieve scans at twice the scan speed or half the patient dose. Siemens’ industry-leading dose protection, Care Dose 4D, is also included with Biograph TruePoint systems. With advanced imaging tools, the Biograph 16-slice PET-CT system offers an affordable and reliable imaging solution that can satisfy the needs of an institution of any size, and is able to grow at the same rate as clinical requirements dictate. This product is a Works in Progress (WIP) pending 510k approval and is not yet commercially available in the US. This product does not yet fulfill all the essential requirements according to the European Medical Device Directive (93/42/EEC) and its national implementations. It is not yet commercially available in the European Union.