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“Photon-counting CT will become the new standard in chest imaging”

In pulmonology, photon-counting computed tomography (CT) enables physicians to precisely evaluate function thanks to highly detailed spectral maps.

3min
Doris Pischitz
Published on February 6, 2023

Professor Frank Wacker, MD1, and Professor Jens Vogel-Claussen, MD1, report their experiences in clinical practice.

When did you start using photon-counting CT and what were your expectations?

Frank Wacker likes the dose efficiency of photon-counting CT.

We were very excited about the dose efficiency of the new system.

Professor Frank Wacker, MD, Chairman of Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Germany

Looking at pulmonology specifically, what were the limitations of traditional CT scanners?

Where and how has photon-counting been able to overcome these limitations?

How do improved image contrast and higher spatial resolution affect your diagnoses?

Jens Vogel-Claussen sees the potential of photon-counting CT in lung cancer screening.

Photon-counting CT has huge potential for future CT lung cancer screening programs.

Professor Jens Vogel-Claussen, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Germany

Which patients benefit in particular, also with regard to lower radiation dose and less use of contrast media?

How and in which cases are you using the spectral information now available from a single scan?

Photon-counting CT scan of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
[Figure 1] Chronic emboli of the pulmonary arterial vessels can result in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Detection and evaluation are challenging with conventional CT because of the size and location of the emboli. Contrast media used to visualize filling defects in the pulmonary vessels can also now be used to extract the distribution within the lung tissue and show the perfusion of the lung. Here, the method was used to visualize the effect of CTEPH and the postintervention outcome. The aim is to remove the fibrotic material that causes the stenosis and occlusions of the pulmonary vasculature. The successful outcome is well visualized here.

How does the availability of monoenergetic images for every scan assist physicians in making a diagnosis or follow-up?

How are you using photon-counting for standard examinations? How does the technology perform in these cases?

Could you please describe one or two patient cases where photon-counting has been particularly helpful?

Fibrotic lung disease image acquired with photon-counting CT

[Figure 2] Anatomical changes of the lung are key to understanding the type of lung disease. Visualizing tissue changes with a much higher resolution and without the radiation dose penalties of conventional CT detectors can help to classify these changes. Here, “intralobar reticulations” indicating lung fibrosis are clearly visible even on a low-dose lung scan.

How do you see the role of CT evolving in your specialty with photon-counting technology?

By Doris Pischitz
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. 1 Professor Frank Wacker, MD, and Professor Jens Vogel-Claussen, MD, are employed by an institution that receives financial support from Siemens Healthineers for collaborations.

    2 NAEOTOM Alpha is not commercially available in all countries. Its future availability cannot be guaranteed.


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