Innovative Angiography System Supports Interventional Radiography

An innovative robot-supported angiography system advances minimally invasive surgery, interventional radiology, and interventional cardiology in the hybrid operating room (OR).

The Siemens Healthineers Artis pheno angiography system is based on a the zen40HDR flat panel detector and the Gigalix X-ray tube, which provide the system with 2k imaging technology that offers a fourfold increase in resolution for 2D imaging, with up to 15% faster scan times in the body area. This increase is made possible by syngo DynaCT 3D imaging, which uses less contrast agent during the imaging process; if the patient is sensitive to contrast agents, Artis pheno can also support CO2 imaging of the extremities.

The C-arm has a free inner diameter of 95.5 centimeters, which offers more space for handling adipose and moribund patients, while the system’s multi-tilt table can accommodate patients weighing up to 280 kilograms. The robotic construction provides a flexible isocenter that allows the C-arm to follow all table positions and provide the best possible imaging support for the patient's treatment, presenting the target area of the body from virtually any angle. The end of the table can also be tilted in order to stabilize the patient's blood pressure or to make breathing easier.

Optional application packages are available to suit complex cases. For example, up to ten vertebrae can be represented in 3D using syngo DynaCT Large Volume, giving surgeons a larger overview during spinal fusion procedures. Another application, syngo DynaCT 360, can generate arge-volume images of the lung or the liver, including the anatomy of the tumor and the vessels leading to it, providing effective support for tumor transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), which involves supplying embolic particles coated with a chemotherapeutic drug via a catheter directly into the arteries leading to the tumor.

Another application, Syngo Needle Guidance, makes it possible to plan extensive procedures using orthopedic screws or surgical needles. Screw paths can be planned with precision, with an automatic path alignment function that automatically aligns the C-arm to follow them. A laser integrated in the image detector shows the surgeon the planned path, which helps improve both accuracy and speed in the OR and minimizes the rate of screw positioning errors in the spine.

Another new feature called StructureScout can adapt and optimize imaging parameters to best suit the material structure of the area being X-rayed, which enables even less radiation to be used, and also increases CO2 visibility when the table is tilted. The system also supports effective hygiene management in the hospital environment thanks to an antimicrobial coating, CleanGuide technology, and large sealed surfaces with fewer spaces, which helps customers with system cleaning.

“We see a high number of multi-morbid patients with impaired kidney function in the angio suite,” said Professor Frank Wacker, MD, director of the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at Hanover Medical School. “Shorter scan times help reduce the amount of iodinated contrast agent during 3D angiography in the thorax and abdomen by up to 15 percent.”