Computed Tomography ◼ Matthias May, MD, Assistant Professor at the radiology department of University Hospital Erlangen and Laura Schwarzfaerber, radiology technologist. “SOMATOM X.cite is not just one of the most versatile devic- es on the market, but it is also the first to facilitate personal- ized, individualized scanning. As far as I’m concerned, this machine marks the beginning of a new era in computed tomo graphy,” says Bastarrika. Matthias May, MD, Assistant Professor at the radiology department of University Hospital Erlangen, Germany, which also took part in the SOMATOM X.cite pilot study, agrees: “The scanner is definitely the first step toward personalized radiology.” “By using the predefined decision-making criteria, even less experienced staff are able to scan rapidly and flawlessly with the optimal image quality, X-ray dose, and contrast medium dose,” says the radiol- ogist. This, he believes, is the upcoming trend in CT imaging. “We envision a future where you won’t need to be an expert to operate a CT scanner. This will be crucial not only in regions lacking a radiol- ogist, but even here in our hospital. For instance, if less experienced personnel find themselves in stressful emergency situations or alone during their night shift.” Since August, Bastarrika’s radiology team has been using the new SOMATOM® X.cite from Siemens Healthineers. “Thanks to intelligent support from the new user concept myExam Companion as well as the automated capture of imag- ing and reconstruction settings, less experienced personnel can also carry out even the most complex scans quickly and accurately,” says the radiology chief. He notes that especially with cardiology patients suffering from arrhythmias, arteriosclerosis, or high heart rates, it is now much easier to standardize settings through intel- ligent decision trees. A new era in computed tomography The new CT scanner also offers advantages for patients. The big- ger gantry opening means larger and less mobile patients, or those attached to medical devices, can be positioned more easily, says radiology nurse Begoña Sara. For patient Francisco Cubo, the big- gest benefit is that he can understand the breathing instructions without his hearing aid. “The new visual color codes indicate when you must breathe in or hold your breath, which makes it much easier for me,” he explains. Huge time savings in positioning On her tablet, radiology technologist Laura Schwarz faerber clicks through the simple questions that drive the decision criteria of myExam Companion together with the patient input. Automated algorithms read the patient’s ECG and feed it directly into the user system, which calculates the appropriate protocols and doses of radiation adjusted for ECG data, weight, size, and age. Schwarzfaerber stands beside the patient, who is already lying on the scanner table. The fully automated positioning program, supported by a 3D camera, places the patient in the optimal position. “We save loads of time at this stage, since all of these steps had to be done manually before,” says Schwarzfaerber. With the advanced tablet functionalities, she can now remain at the patient’s side even longer – “and that makes them much more calm and relaxed, which also assists our scanning process.” siemens-healthineers.com/somatom-xcite The statements by Siemens Healthineers customers described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer’s unique setting. Since there is no “typical” hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, level of IT adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results. RADBOOK 2020 11