“Siemens has long been proactive in addressing dose challenges in CT, and because of the company’s foresightedness, initiative, and heavy investments in this area, Siemens is recognized as one of the leaders in the development of dose reduction technologies for CT,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Roberto Aranibar.

Frost & Sullivan noted that while all major CT equipment manufacturers have recently began introducing new dose reduction technologies, “Siemens Healthcare has differentiated itself through its consistent contributions of dose reduction technologies for CT since the early 1990s.”*

“Siemens is proud to accept Frost & Sullivan’s award that so thoroughly notes our long and continued work in the field of low dose technology,” said Kulin Hemani, vice president, Computed Tomography, Siemens Healthcare. “Our philosophy is based on the principle that the highest technical innovation is defined by how it meets the needs of our customers to provide their patients with optimal care.”

In 1994, Siemens released the CARE (Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure) Dose4D feature, which automatically adapts radiation dose to the size and shape of the patient. The innovations continued through the 1990s with groundbreaking technologies, such as ultra fast ceramic (UFC) detector scintillating material and an Adaptive ECG-Pulsing algorithm. By 2002, Siemens’ introduced a low-energy scanning protocol for pediatric imaging to address the challenges in an increasingly prevalent patient group where dose must more carefully be considered.

In 2005, Siemens welcomed a new generation of CT scanners with the introduction of the SOMATOM® Definition, the world’s first dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner. In 2007, the momentum of dose reduction continued with the introduction of Adaptive Dose Shield, a feature which further limited unnecessary irradiation of tissue. A year later, Siemens once again made history when the SOMATOM Definition Flash produced images at a considerable dose reduction.

Siemens’ latest dose reduction technology, Iterative Reconstruction in Image Space (IRIS), aides in the reduction of image noise without the loss of image quality or detail visualization. The significant noise reduction provided by IRIS allows for up to 60 percent radiation** dose reduction in routine clinical use.

The Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership of the Year Award is bestowed each year upon the company that has demonstrated excellence in technology leadership within their industry. The recipient company has demonstrated technology leadership by excelling in all stages of the technology life cycle – incubation, adaptation, take-up, and maturity – to ensure a continuous flow of improvements. By innovating leading-edge concepts, the company has pioneered client applications.

* Frost & Sullivan “Siemens: Recipient of the 2010 North American Computed Tomography Technology Leadership of the Year Award” report, 2010.

** Result may vary, data on file

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.