A new generation of image reconstruction software and hardware has reportedly been developed within Siemens Healthcare’s initiative Agenda 2013, which allows for a robust reduction of radiation dose in CT examinations. And recently, Siemens Healthcare has announced that its computed tomography (CT) iterative reconstruction algorithm SAFIRE—Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction—has been cleared for domestic sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, the use of projection raw data during the iter- ative image improvement process enables a reduction of subtle image artifacts and therefore a further improvement in gen- eral image quality.
SAFIRE helps users reduce dose by up to 60% compared to previous filtered back projection techniques, as documented in the FDA clearance letter. SAFIRE’s extremely fast reconstruction speed of 20 images per second enables reconstruction of a typical high-resolution thorax examination of 30 cm in just 15 seconds. With this as-yet- unmatched reconstruction performance, SAFIRE can be applied routinely in clini- cal practice. SAFIRE ties into the Siemens Healthcare global initiative Agenda 2013, which among other measures, focuses on driving the development of next-generation healthcare IT.
“From a clinical perspective, SAFIRE helps to significantly reduce radiation ex- posure across the whole portfolio of clini- cal applications and continues to demon- strate Siemens’ commitment to deliver the best possible patient care at the lowest possible radiation dose,” said Elliot Fish- man, MD, CT section chief of radiology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, and a member of the SIERRA (Siemens Radiation Reduction Alliance) dose expert panel.
