A first-of-its kind computed tomography (CT) imaging technology provides anatomic data and the ability to characterize structures based on their material content within a single scan. The enhanced image quality should help enhance diagnostic effectiveness.

Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) reported on the 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its IQon Spectral CT, presenting a totally new way of spectral imaging. Due to its speed, accessibility, and accuracy, CT imaging is widely used in the diagnosis of many different diseases and injuries.

The additional degree of spectral data in the CT scan helps clinicians identify the composition of substances in the body for additional diagnostic interrogation. “The IQon Spectral CT represents our commitment to leading a new, higher standard for medical imaging that is driven by clinical insights and focused on the patient experience,” said Gene Saragnese, CEO imaging systems, Philips Healthcare. “Delivering an additional level of spectral information without impacting clinician workflow is vital for confident diagnoses that can significantly add value to help improve patient care.”

Philips IQon Spectral CT was developed in close collaboration with clinicians and is designed to tackle some of their most immediate challenges, including workflow and image management issues. The technology can differentiate between X-ray photons of multiple high and low energies—similar to the principal behind a prism splitting white light into the rainbow of colors. Through the Spectral CT scan, clinicians can access the conventional grey-scale anatomical images, along with the spectral data within the same scan. As a result, Philips IQon Spectral CT enables real time, retrospective data analysis, without disrupting a clinician's workflow and takes the conjecture out of multi-energy acquisitions, making it easy to use and allowing for routine spectral use.

“Spectral imaging has the potential to change the way clinicians practice radiology in the future,” said Jacob Sosna, president of the Israeli Radiology Society and chairman of the department of radiology at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center (Jerusalem, Israel), who collaborated with Philips on the development the product. “A recent study with Philips IQon Spectral CT revealed enhanced diagnosis in up to 70% of cases. Using the prospective approach, we would only have access to spectral information in 20% or 25%, at maximum.”

The IQon Spectral CT system is currently available for ordering in 36 countries. Philips recently presented the IQon Spectral CT at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting, on November 30 to December 5, 2014, in Chicago (IL, USA).

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Philips Healthcare
Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center