Interpretation of CT technology trends and future market direction

CT technology started in hospital radiographic diagnosis has a role to play in many years.

With the continuous development of CT technology, its clinical effects are constantly increasing. According to x-ray CT technology development process, can be divided into several stages: non-slip ring slipring CT, CT, CT, CT multislice spiral. Soon, there will be flat-panel detector for x-ray beam CT. However, for clinical feature, every new technology's role is different, but the amount of accumulation, while forming a qualitative leap. And we can begin with a performance perspective CT technology developments.

(A), the performance requirement-oriented technology development

On hospital, CT with performance requirements mainly: check for speed, image quality, resolution processing capabilities.

These three aspects is the fundamental guarantee of clinical performance. Of course, it will also consider the software scalability and x-ray dose. Check the rate includes: scanning speed, the speed of image reconstruction, user operation speed of the machine. Three common effects and check the patient's circulation. Among them, the scan speed is critical. Scan speed to the CT brings change is the greatest. The earliest CT interested to scan an image, the effect for respiratory movement of chest and abdomen image quality cannot be guaranteed.

To solve this problem, so I had a slip ring technology and CT clinical technology first quality progress.

Slipring CT x-ray tube and detector can always follow the same direction of rotation, the apparent increase scanning speed, makes a breath to sweeps a layer of the image, the image quality, significantly improving the the thoracic and abdominal CT diagnosis capability, improved check speed.

However, slipring CT for each location of breath-hold time organ caused by changes in false negative and false-positive (leakage sweep lesions or duplicate scanning lesions) is difficult to grasp.

To resolve this problem, you need to continuously improve the scanning speed, but check the bed of discontinuous step mode on the scan speed constitute significant obstacles. Spiral collection (volume acquisition) technology solves the problem, while at the same time brought CT clinical skills of second leap. Spiral CT scan frame in uniform rotation, also check deposit continuous uniform motion, for scanning range of the overall volume of data, you can rebuild a scan anywhere within the cross-sectional images. This enables continuous acquisition of CT and acquisition speed has been greatly improved, relies on this technology a breath you can scan a part, removing a breathing exercise-induced false-negative and false-positive. This is to ensure image quality and accuracy of the diagnosis provides the technology Foundation, meanwhile, has also created a CTA (CT Angiography), CEV (virtual endoscopy), 3D reconstruction and analysis of clinical significance. Now scan time in 1 second and 1 second, spiral CT can do.

The next goal is to overcome the effects of heart beating, multi-row detector technology and gating technique to find a solution, this progress is the CT clinical technology third qualitative leap.

A cardiac cycle is not possible to complete the scan of the heart, door control technology lets us in collecting data, you can selectively remove cardiac systole of data, you can even choose each cardiac cycle time within the same data to reconstruct the image. 4 layer above (including 4 layers) multislice CT through injection of contrast agents, combined with gating technology, capable of displaying coronary and its branches, and previous coronary check methods, this check is youngest trauma inspection method, this check on coronary artery branches show capacity and disease, and coronary angiographic catheter method as well as the clinical diagnosis of contrast and evaluation, has entered the stage of clinical utility. The scan speed faster also constantly upgrading enhanced scan resolution.

In order to reduce the amount of x-ray exposure, CT has begun to apply auto Ma control technology.

Previous auto control method is based on a scan position to project and develop like every layer of scanned images of current, however, because the scanning position as and when the Hengduan like, it is difficult to breath-hold position, coupled with the human body is lateral body thickness difference is large, this method is not easy to keep the image quality of stability. The latest auto Ma control technology is in the scan process, through the function of auto feedback, real-time adjustment tube current, precise x-ray of automatic control.

Renewal time of constantly accelerating, check the speed and enhanced scan is available to check to see the scanned images as soon as possible in order to decide whether to carry out other phases of the scan.

Ideal reconstruction speed is over the same period of reconstruction, the scan time and reconstruction time, guaranteed by the end of the check is scanned immediately see all the images.

Operation of the machine's time and software flexibility and convenience, to improve patient flow is very important.

Image quality after years of technology development is progressing its spatial resolution of the final limit is the eye's ability to distinguish — 0.2mm.

Analytical processing progress mainly in the processing speed of progress and the display of the image.

In the rapid development of information technology era, the machine software scalability is essential for the user.

Existing multi-slice CT has developed from a single row to a row of detectors to 64 scanning speed, image quality and resolution capabilities are constantly increasing.

However, because x-ray tube emitted radiation is too wide conical probe will make close to the edge of the image by ideal cross-section tend to funnel, which limits the detector width also limits the scanning speed of a leap of progress.

To resolve this problem, some manufacturers are flat-panel detector of cone-beam CT.

Believe that technological advancements, will bring us a surprise after another.

(2), clinical needs oriented CT market

CT technical development day Crescent

Different, we put on the market, existing CT clinical needs by broadly divided into three categories:

(1), meet the General needs of CT clinical examination.

As a normal scan slipring CT.

(2), speed, image quality, satisfy all except Cardiovascular CT examination.

If the scan time in 1 second and 1 second of four rows of spiral CT below. With regard to checking patients in circulation, single-row and 4 slice CT no obvious difference (to check for 50 people per day, per person: an example of scanning 30, 1 second single-row CT scan time takes just 25 minutes. More fast scan rate every day but is saving more than 25 minutes. ）

(3), not only to check the speed, image quality, meet the cardiovascular examination, i.e. 4 row CT or above (including 4 rows) of multi-slice CT, gating technique.

What kind of purchase, not only of CT and hospital level, also with the hospital's buying power and clinical needs.

Hospitals should according to their own research and clinical need to buy equipment. For our most hospital, 1 second single-row to yamiao 4 layers between the spiral spiral CT can meet the clinical needs. While the need for a more upscale multislice CT, with scientific research and teaching tasks of major hospitals, CT patients volume is very large, only one multi-slice CT is not able to meet the demand, often also requires a single 4-row CT below. Therefore, single-row 1 to row yamiao 4 layers between the spiral CT in recent years the demand for Chinese market will be the biggest. Of course, some hospitals also will consider life in that its technology is not backward, but here's the "backward" should be compared to the hospital's development and not with the technical development of CT. We believe that as long as the equipment within the normal service life is always able to meet the clinical needs of hospitals is a light detection equipment.

Now, the competition between national hospital also intense, resulting in the purchase of equipment standards awareness, local governments develop CT examination fees will guide hospital equipment standards.

Some hospitals to apply to a higher level of funds is not easy, so the funds permit, as far as possible to buy the most high-end equipment. Numerous causes part of the acquisition of equipment in hospitals is beyond the hospital's real needs, resulting in some advanced device did not give full play to its performance, leading to a degree of waste of resources. These resource allocation is not reasonable, as the country's structural reform and economic awareness to improve constantly enhanced.