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Innovation culture

A history rich in innovation

Spiral CT, multislice CT, Ultra Fast Ceramic detectors, Straton and Vectron tubes, Dual Source, Dual Energy, Stellar detector – through these and numerous other hardware and software developments, Siemens Healthineers has secured its position as innovation leader in the field of computed tomography.

5min
Ingo Zenger, Doris Pischitz
Published on November 3, 2021

Producing the first photon-counting computed tomography (CT)1 scanner in routine clinical practice was the logical next step in this history of innovation.

From head to toe (1971–1980)

Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, the inventor of computed tomography.
Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, the inventor of computed tomography

Changing times (1981–1990)

CT scan of a lung carcinoma
Image showing a carcinoma of the lung, 1980

A paradigm shift (1991–2000)

SOMATOM Plus-S, 1991
The world’s first spiral CT scanner, SOMATOM Plus-S, 1991

Major advances (2000–2010)

Comparison of a conventional CT tube with Straton
Comparison of a conventional CT tube (right) with Straton (left), 2004

Pushing technology to its limits (2011–2020)

Conventional detector element and Stellar element
A conventional detector element (top) and a Stellar detector element (bottom), 2012

Redefining CT (2021)

By Ingo Zenger, Doris Pischitz
Ingo Zenger is an author at the Siemens Healthineers Historical Institute.
Doris Pischitz is an editor in corporate communications at Siemens Healthineers. The team specializes in topics related to healthcare, medical technology, disease areas, and digitalization.
  1. 1The products/features (mentioned herein) are not commercially available in all countries. Their future availability cannot be guaranteed.

    The statements by customers of Siemens Healthineers described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer’s unique setting. Since there is no “typical” hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, level of IT adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results.