April 22, 2020 — Siemens Healthineers has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its AIDAN artificial intelligence technologies on the Biograph family of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) systems, which includes the Biograph Horizon, Biograph mCT, and Biograph Vision. AIDAN is built on a foundation of patient-focused bed design and proprietary AI deep-learning technology to enable four new features – FlowMotion AI, OncoFreeze AI, PET FAST Workflow AI, and Multiparametric PET Suite AI. Siemens Healthineers PET/CT systems with AIDAN offer enhanced protection against cyber threats via syngo Security – a security package for general regulatory security rules that enables compliance with the Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
FlowMotion AI
Because each patient’s body habitus and presentation of disease is different, tailoring PET/CT protocols to produce the highest-quality diagnostic imaging information possible for each patient can be difficult and time-consuming. The standard one-size-fits-all protocol lacks personalization and is often of suboptimal quality. FlowMotion AI uses continuous bed motion with ALPHA proprietary AI technology, which automatically detects anatomical structures, to recognize patient anatomy and automatically apply disease-specific protocol parameters based on individual requirements. FlowMotion AI eliminates the need for manual protocol entry and alignment. The result is standardized protocols based on indication and personalized exams based on individual patient anatomy, to help enable fast, tailored, and reproducible PET/CT exams. In this manner, FlowMotion AI expands precision medicine.
PET FAST WorkFlow AI
Following a PET/CT scan, the technologist must sacrifice time with the patient to manually create additional data ranges beyond the system’s axial images. AIDAN’s PET FAST WorkFlow AI automates and simplifies post-scan tasks. It automatically performs fast image transfer and auto data export, and creates picture archive and communication system (PACS)-ready data ranges. PET FAST Workflow AI saves valuable technologist time, reduces the possibility for errors, and provides physicians with information more quickly to permit faster interpretation of the exam.
OncoFreeze AI
Patient respiratory motion during a PET/CT exam compromises image quality and could negatively impact patient outcomes. The standard solution for respiratory motion management is not performed during every PET/CT exam because it requires a longer scan time as well as a respiratory belt – which is awkward, time-consuming, and unpopular with patients. OncoFreeze AI uses ALPHA technology and algorithms to allow acquisition of PET/CT images that are virtually free of respiratory motion utilizing 100 percent of the acquired PET counts, with no additional time added to the exam and no respiratory belt.
Multiparametric PET Suite AI
In PET/CT, standard uptake values (SUVs) alone may not be ideal for determining disease status, as patient diet and weight fluctuations result in variable SUV values. Multiparametric PET provides those coveted absolute numbers, but the exam can be cumbersome, and the requirement of arterial blood sampling can cause pain and put patients at risk. Multiparametric PET Suite AI offers a fully automated workflow that extracts the arterial input function automatically from acquired PET/CT images, eliminating the unnecessary pain and risk associated with arterial lines and sampling. In addition to the standard SUV image, Multiparametric PET Suite AI provides clinical information for the patient report in the form of metabolic rate and distribution volume, further expanding precision medicine.
“The addition of AIDAN to the Siemens Healthineers Biograph PET/CT portfolio represents a significant advancement in AI application at the scanner level,” said John Khoury, vice president of the Molecular Imaging business at Siemens Healthineers North America. “With AIDAN, we use robust learning technology to accelerate and improve the planning, acquisition, and interpretation of PET/CT.”
For more information: siemens-healthineers.us/aidan