Siemens and Sectra Collaborate on Enhancing Radiology Workflows

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 24 Feb 2025

Image: The Naeotom Alpha class of photon-counting CT scanners provides high-resolution imaging with reduced radiation doses (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

Siemens Healthineers (Forchheim, Germany) and Sectra (Linköping, Sweden) have entered into a collaboration aimed at enhancing radiologists' diagnostic capabilities and, in turn, improving patient care through seamless integration. The collaboration focuses on enabling radiologists to view and post-process Siemens’ NAEOTOM Alpha class photon-counting CT (PCCT) images directly within Sectra's diagnostic radiology application. This integration eliminates the need for Sectra users to switch between separate applications or workstations for efficient PCCT viewing.

The NAEOTOM Alpha class PCCT scanners generate contrast-rich images with high spatial resolution while using lower radiation doses. This feature is particularly advantageous for scenarios where fine detail and differentiation of tissue types are crucial, such as in brain or heart imaging, or in situations where minimizing radiation exposure from repeated imaging is important, such as in pediatric cancer care. However, until now, the full potential of the spectral data contained in these images could only be fully utilized using Siemens' enterprise reading and reporting solution.

Sectra’s enterprise imaging diagnostic application for radiology, part of their software subscription, provides a unified approach to all imaging needs while reducing operational costs. This scalable and modular solution enables healthcare providers to expand from one imaging modality to another and from one enterprise to another. With the integration between Sectra and Siemens, radiologists using Sectra’s PACS will now be able to access Siemens' toolset for spectral post-processing, ensuring a fully integrated diagnostic assessment at the point of reading. By combining Sectra's PACS integration capabilities with its comprehensive diagnostic application and Siemens' cutting-edge CT technology, this partnership has the potential to greatly enhance patient care.

"After three years of transforming medical imaging with photon-counting CT, we are now taking the next step in enhancing diagnostic capabilities," said Nena Stephan, Project Lead Clinical Insights & Automation at Siemens Healthineers. “The partnership with Sectra will ensure that advanced interactive spectral capability can be seamlessly accessible within radiologists' existing workflows on Sectra PACS, without adding data management complexities. Interactive Spectral Imaging with NAEOTOM Alpha datasets unlocks the full diagnostic potential within every photon-counting CT scan, empowering radiologists to make more confident and precise decisions by enabling the interactive and customizable visualization of tissue spectral characteristics, providing functional information, and eliminating artifacts. Ultimately, this leads to faster and more accurate diagnoses, resulting in improved outcomes and better care for patients globally.”

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