Applied Radiology

There has been exponential growth in concern for radiation dose, not only among doctors but also among patients, who want to know the risks and benefits of computed tomography (CT) and x-ray imaging.

From Philips’ standpoint, we incorporate imaging as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principle in every aspect of our technology.

Still, dose management presents a unique challenge for imaging with CT and nuclear medicine modalities because historically as dose is lowered, image quality suffers. Above all, radiologists want better image quality, at low dose without sacrificing speed. Clinicians don’t have time to wait for an image, and want low dose without compromising diagnostic value. We can help them deliver high image quality at lower doses without sacrificing speed.

The best innovation happens at the intersection of great science, great engineering, and great clinicians who understand where the problems lie in patient care. We intend to continue to partner with radiologists and clinicians to drive improvement in the science of imaging. We at Philips Healthcare have played a critical role in delivering solutions that improve image quality at a lower dose.

When we introduced Imaging 2.0 last year—a strategic initiative built on 3 pillars: clinical integration and collaboration, patient focus, and improved economic value—the goal was sharing your vision and advancing the science. By working side by side with physicians and drawing on their insights, we have been able to implement programs like DoseWise, a set of techniques and practices, clinical education and reference protocols, for use in the clinical setting.

This ongoing collaboration has led to the development of 6 new products in CT and nuclear medicine, each one built on the targeted 3-pillar approach. What is so important about innovations like SyncRight, a tool used to manage contrast injection, is they allow clinicians and technologists to use low-dose solutions in combination with our iCT family, Ingenuity CT family, and Brilliance 64-channel scanners. These solutions usher in a new era in low-dose imaging.

To further leverage these advances, we have introduced premium hybrid imaging systems. The Ingenuity TF PET/CT system is an example of smart integration that includes all of the benefits of the Ingenuity CT platform. In SPECT/CT, the BrightView XCT is equipped with a flat-panel cone-beam CT component designed for high-resolution low dose imaging. The system comes with full iterative technology (FIT) to support iterative reconstruction on both the SPECT and CT.

Imaging 2.0 also gets back to integrating clinical practice and workflow with the introduction of the IntelliSpace Portal, which has been a huge success because it gives clinicians access to information virtually anywhere, any time. In this way, the portal allows clinicians to collaborate across the enterprise.

We are extremely proud to collaborate with all of the physicians gathered in this roundtable symposium hosted by Applied Radiology, as we consider them partners in our mission to advance science and improve healthcare through Imaging 2.0.