One of the first ultra-high resolution computed tomography (UHR CT) systems in the world is Aquilion PrecisionTM.
The device, which was developed by Computed Tomography Market, can take and display cross-sectional images of the body with a resolution of 50 line pairs per centimeter, making it possible to see anatomies as small as 150 microns.
The system was launched in November 2017 and received 510(k) certification for clinical use in April 2018 from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The device was categorized as a computed tomography (CT) X-ray system by the FDA.
In March 2019, the Johns Hopkins Center for Precision UHR CT became the first facility to install the Aquilion Precision system in order to enhance research capabilities in the areas of cardiovascular issues, bone loss, and liver and lung disease.
The CT system will enable physicians to detect diseases earlier in their stages because it has twice the resolution of standard conventional systems.
Design and features of the Aquilion Precision CT system The Aquilion Precision CT system has a sophisticated UHR detector system, a gantry, a couch, and one of the industry's smallest X-ray tubes. A display and console for data processing are also included.
For improved resolution, the system's X-ray tubes have a focal size of 0.4 mm by 0.5 mm and 1,024 and 2,048 reconstruction matrices.
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There are 1,792 channels and 160 rows of 0.25 mm thick channels in the UHR detector system. The couch has a width of 47 cm, a two-step slide mechanism, and a 17 cm lateral table movement. The opening of the gantry is 780 millimeters in diameter and tilts 30 degrees.
The system has a field of view with a diameter of 320/500 mm and a scan length of 40 mm per rotation. For UHR CT acquisitions, adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) 3D and AIDR 3D Enhanced technologies are optimized.
"The system achieves a field of view with a diameter of 320/500 mm and a scan length of 40 mm per rotation."
The Advanced Intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE), which is based on artificial intelligence (AI), drives the system and aids in rapidly capturing sharp images.
Details about the AiCE technology AiCE is a cutting-edge CT reconstruction technology that is based on the ADR (deep learning reconstruction) method. An improved anatomical resolution, image homogeneity, and rapid zero-impact reconstruction are provided by a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) that powers it.
An advanced model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithm is used to reconstruct a large number of high-quality images, which the DCNN uses to learn from. DCNN trains itself to produce a better final algorithm for improved image quality and processing speeds with more diverse data.
Benefits of the Aquilion Precision CT system The system's UHR detector, high scintillator quantum efficiency, detector circuits, and miniature digital acquisition system (DAS) components combine to improve dose efficiency. It improves spatial resolution and reduces exposure dose for body parts being examined, including the head, chest, heart, and abdomen.
To meet user requirements, including the size of the patient, matrix, clinical requirements, and collimation, the UHR X-ray tube can be adapted to produce six different sizes of focal spots.
The position of the patient on the UHR couch ensures operator safety and comfort.
Other features of the Aquilion Precision CT system The Aquilion Precision CT system comes with a magnetic disk that is 9.8 TB and holds raw data that has been rotated more than 4,000 times.
It can reconstruct an image in as little as 80 seconds and has a CPU memory of approximately 256GB.
Additionally, the system comes with a 25GB Blu-ray disc (BD-RE) with room for 10,000 images.
