Siemens TruePoint PET-CT
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Siemens Highlights Complete Molecular Imaging Solutions for Cardiology, Oncology and Neurology at SNM 2006

June 06, 2006
by Joan Vander Valk, Stern + Associates
SAN DIEGO--June 4, 2006--Siemens Medical Solutions showcased the industry's most comprehensive molecular imaging portfolio at the 2006 Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting (SNM), held June 4-7 in San Diego. Recognizing the call for advanced technologies in several clinical areas, Siemens is developing solutions that expand the fields of oncology, cardiology and neurology.

Siemens sees the evolving field of molecular medicine as a means to move healthcare from treating illness to promoting health through efficient prevention, accurate diagnosis, personalized therapy, and high quality care, explains Michael Reitermann, president, Molecular Imaging Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. Molecular medicine is expected to help physicians detect diseases earlier, and more specifically, to forecast the effectiveness of drugs for a patient and determine the best therapy on a personalized basis.

Molecular imaging is a key transforming technology in this evolution, and Siemens has made tremendous strides in this arena since its acquisition and successful integration of CTI Molecular Imaging in May 2005. True integration of innovative hardware and advanced software applications has enabled workflow-oriented solutions that create reproducible results while facilitating quicker and more precise diagnoses.

"The past year has shown the tremendous promise of the Siemens Molecular Imaging organization and we're proud to have demonstrated our commitment to the future of personalized medicine," said Reitermann. "It's obvious that a passion for innovation is indeed in Siemens' genes as we actively look to leverage innovations in areas that include oncology, neurology and cardiology."

Molecular imaging's ability to provide anatomical and functional detail at the cellular level can greatly impact these areas because treatment and survival are dependent upon early, accurate diagnosis and monitoring. Siemens' molecular imaging technologies, including clinical and preclinical imagers, advanced applications and biomarkers, are enabling clinicians and researchers around the world to effectively treat within and further explore these areas.

"Siemens' solutions are driving research from the bench to the bedside, where it is most needed to increase the quality of healthcare delivery, while reducing costs," said Reitermann.

Siemens highlighted molecular imaging solutions suited for a variety of environments at this year's SNM, including:

-- Oncology -- Hybrid imaging solutions such as the Biograph(TM) family of PET-CT systems and the Symbia(R) family of SPECT-CT scanners produce true clarity with unmatched image quality and resolution, offering enhanced diagnostic confidence from initial diagnosis to therapy planning, staging and follow-up. Siemens' new TruePoint(TM) PET-CT platform will provide dramatic improvements in the clinical capabilities of PET-CT. In addition, the company's hybrid imaging systems are enhanced by software suites such as the syngo(R) MultiModality Workplace, which offers intuitive post processing and advanced visualization. syngo TrueD(TM), for example, is a tool that enables physicians to quickly co-register and compare patient scans from different points in time, such as pre- and post- therapy.

-- Cardiology -- True efficiency and integration are achieved with Siemens' cardiology solutions, including c.cam(TM), e.cam(R), Symbia SPECT, Symbia SPECT-CT, and Biograph PET-CT systems. Siemens' molecular imaging solutions provide cardiologists with functional information such as wall motion, myocardial perfusion, and in some cases plaque characterization, as well as morphological information, such as the presence of coronary calcifications and detailed cardiac anatomy. New workflow enhancements to the Symbia line of hybrid imagers include automatic and integrated collimator changing options, as well as an automatic quality control option that automates all daily, weekly and monthly quality control needs of the system. Siemens Biograph 64 with the new TruePoint PET-CT technology package performs high-resolution CT angiography and myocardial perfusion and viability in a single exam. These technologies, combined with advanced visualization tools such as syngo CardioFusion, optimize the clinical cardiac workflow and enable enhanced diagnostic capabilities.

-- Neurology -- In addition to hybrid technologies, which are gaining momentum in the neurological environment, sophisticated computer-aided brain function analysis tools like syngo Scenium facilitate neurological evaluation by enabling automatic correlation of a patient study with an average brain for assessment of abnormalities. These software advancements will benefit physicians by enabling quick, precise diagnoses, and reproducible results. Other advancements include imaging biomarkers that will help physicians detect both beta-amyloid plaques and neuronal tangles to predict the onset of dementia and neurological disorders - often before symptoms appear. This will not only facilitate earlier treatment, but also the development of better drugs that effectively manage the progression of disease.

-- Preclinical Imaging -- Siemens' preclinical, multimodality imaging solutions offer a versatile and upgradeable platform as well as a comprehensive suite of analysis applications. Siemens' newest preclinical solution, Inveon(TM), is a modular concept that offers complete flexibility, enabling PET, SPECT, and CT data acquisition, and provides the industry's highest PET resolution and sensitivity. Inveon's suite of research tools can help facilitate basic research, as well as the drug development process, empowering researchers to identify specific biological processes, monitor the efficacy of compounds, and measure the effects of disease progression over time.

-- Advanced Services -- Tying it all together, Siemens Molecular Imaging (MI) University, a fundamental part of MI LifeNet - Siemens' customer care initiative - provides a substantive training resource for Siemens' customers. Today's molecular imaging professionals require continuous education, training and the ability to share results. Designed to be used by the interpreting physician, referring physician and technologist, MI University demonstrates the benefits of hybrid PET-CT and SPECT-CT systems, including when and how hybrid imaging influences patient management, through access to valuable clinical data and detailed case studies; video lectures; product information; and a tool for information exchange among peers.

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) with headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Employing approximately 33,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 7.6 billion EUR, orders of 8.6 billion EUR and group profit of 976 million EUR for fiscal 2005. More information can be obtained by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.

Definitions: SPECT - Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography; PET - Positron Emission Tomography; CT - Computed Tomography.