MORPHOLOGICAL SCANNING
A wide variety of scan methods can be selected according to the study objective and scan range.
VOLUME SCAN
Volume scan covers a range of up to 160 mm so that organs as the brain and the heart can be scanned in a single axial scan. Since the overlap required in helical scanning is eliminated, patient exposure dose can be reduced.
WIDE VOLUME SCAN
Wide volume scan is an axial scan mode used to scan ranges exceeding 160 mm. Scanning is performed while the patient couch is moved before each shot. The multiple data sets are automatically combined to a wide volume, when combined with ECG gating whole thorax low-dose gated vascular studies can be acquired.
HELICAL SCAN
160-detector row ultrahelical ensures fast motion-free scans, perfectly suited for trauma applications. For higher image quality, the sampling rate has been increased to over 2900 views per second.
FUNCTIONAL SCANNING
The Aquilion ONE is developed for functional imaging, an imaging method that is not covered with conventional systems. Discover the world of dynamic blood flow, joint movement or breathing lungs and widen your scope to new fields of diagnoses.
DYNAMIC VOLUME SCAN
In head examinations, blood flow dynamics can be assessed and quantified with perfusion software. In orthopedic examinations, dynamic movement of joints etc. can be observed by performing scanning during patient motion. In chest examinations, lung function can be observed during free breathing. In angiographic examinations blood flow can be observed during the injection of contrast. Dynamic volume imaging is a revolutionary development in CT.
INTEGRATED DOSE REDUCTION
Minimization of the radiation dose is a high priority for all medical imaging practitioners. The dose has to be adjusted appropriately according to the size and shape of each patient. Automatic exposure control systems have proven to be useful in doing this while maintaining diagnostic image quality.
Canon’s SUREExposure 3D Adaptive exposure control system is fully integrated into the imaging chain and can therefore calculate the minimum radiation exposure required for each examination of each patient. With the inclusion of Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3D (AIDR 3D) in the scan protocol, the exposure dose is automatically reduced by up to by up to 75% relative to a scan reconstructed with filtered back projection.
AIDR 3D is a sophisticated algorithm that has been designed to work in both the raw data and reconstruction domains. The collective AIDR 3D process results in robust noise reduction, which is essential for achieving ultra-low-dose examinations in routine clinical imaging. This iterative algorithm is superior to non-iterative approaches in removing background noise while preserving diagnostic information.
FIRST: the latest in iterative reconstruction
The first thing to know about FIRST (Forward projected model-based Iterative Reconstruction SoluTion) is that it is easy to use. It makes ultra-low dose iterative reconstruction a simple and automated process that fits seamlessly into the daily workflow.
Radiologists who want to look under the hood and study the engine driving this technological break-through will notice “FIRST means fast”. Canon accelerated computational throughput to bring their iterative reconstruction technique to the clinic where extensive reconstruction times are not acceptable. In FIRST, a reconstruction from the original (measured) projection data is performed with traditional FBP to create a seed image. This image then undergoes forward projection to create a forward projected dataset (essentially a projection summation of HU values along each ray path projection). The forward projection data is then compared against the original projection data to identify the differences between the two. This essentially identifies errors in the FBP reconstruction, which are compensated for. A subsequent correction step is then performed to update the seed image. This is a sophisticated process because additional information concerning the focal spot size (optics model), photoelectric noise (statistical model), the cone beam trajectory (cone beam model), and the exact scan parameters (system model) are utilized in the update process.
This process is iteratively repeated until the differences between the original (measured) projection data and the forward projection data are minimal, ensuring that a highly accurate image of the patient is produced with increased spatial and low contrast resolution. Because this process is coupled with anatomically based noise regularization, FIRST is incredibly robust for data with extremely low photon counts, which translates to an opportunity to achieve significant reductions in radiation dose for all examinations.
Available for the Aquilion ONE family of CT systems, FIRST improves high-contrast spatial resolution while making exams safer for patients by providing ultra-low dose examinations.
Following Canon’s long-standing philosophy of minimizing dose for all patients, FIRST:
- Is integrated into SUREExposure 3D, ensuring automatic dose reduction
- Requires as little as 3 minutes for full volumetric reconstruction
- Reconstructs in parallel with InstaView realtime reconstruction
- Delivers unsurpassed natural-looking image quality due to anatomical modeling depending on the patient’s anatomy
FIRST in routine clinical practice
Original Reconstruction
FIRST
Original Reconstruction
FIRST
ULTRA LOW DOSE – TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE DOSE
Aquilion ONE incorporates a variety of advanced technologies into a new-generation platform to ensure high quality image while minimizing the exposure dose.
ACTIVE COLLIMATOR
The active collimator eliminates X-rays that are not used for image reconstruction in helical scanning. The collimator operates automatically at the start and end of scan range limiting the extent of the X-ray beam, permitting further dose reduction. With active collimation exposure can be reduced by up to 20%.
SURECARDIO PROSPECTIVE – OVERCOME THE UNEXPECTED
Aquilion ONE performs coronary angiography using a single rotation axial scan. This not only ensures uniformity in the Z-axis but the short scan time also reduces the need for contrast. With SURECardio Prospective even patients with arrhythmia can be successfully scanned while the patient dose is maintained as low as possible. An optimum scan at lowest dose for every patient, every time.
SUREEXPOSURE 3D ADAPTIVE
SUREExposure 3D Adaptive is a function that continuously modulates the exposure dose in the X, Y, and Z directions according to the patient’s body shape and size. Using dose modulation alone, exposure already can be reduced by up to 40%.
VARIABLE HELICAL PITCH
Variable Helical Pitch (vHP) allows prescribing an exam that automatically changes the helical pitch at a user-defined location during acquisition without stopping the table motion. For example, in a CTA aorta examination, ECG-gated scanning with a slow pitch is performed for the thoracic, seamlessly switching to non-gated scanning with a faster pitch for the abdominal aorta.vHP provides an optimized workflow and short scan times when performing combined studies while significantly reducing contrast and radiation dose.
CONEXACT WITH DOUBLE SLICE TECHNOLOGY
Taking full advantage of the coneXact technology, acquired volume data can be reconstructed in double density, resulting in a more true-to-original reconstruction in MPR and 3D rendered images.
HYBRIDVIEW
Save time and storage space with Canon’s hybrid reconstruction kernels. These newly introduced iterative reconstruction algorithms provide sharp lungs and excellent soft tissue resolution in one image. Reading times are shortened as you only need to concentrate on a single series to make a definitive diagnosis.