VIENNA - Siemens Medical Solutions is launching a new multipurpose flat-panel digital radiography system at this week’s European Congress of Radiology. The new unit, Axiom Aristos FX, features a ceiling-suspended x-ray tube and detector to give the system additional flexibility when imaging patients.
Siemens currently has several flat-panel systems in its DR product line, but those units place the detector in some type of floor-mounted assembly, such as a wall stand or bucky table. This limits the flexibility of the system, and is a liability for specialized exams such as patients in wheelchairs or hospital gurneys. Users of those systems found they needed to use computed radiography for certain types of exams, such as oblique and lateral views, according to the company.
With Axiom Aristos FX, the detector is attached to the end of an overhead crane that is affixed to rails on the imaging suite’s ceiling. The unit’s patient bed is also unique -- it’s suspended only at one end, enabling the detector to sweep out from under the table if needed for a different position.
The tube and detector are also motorized, and Siemens has created a pre-programmed user interface that will automatically move the system into the correct position based on the organ being imaged. The unit also includes the vendor’s automated pediatric dose reduction program.
Aristos FX uses the same Trixell Pixium 4600 amorphous silicon/cesium iodide detector found on the other Siemens DR units. The panel features a 43 x 43-cm field of view and 3K x 3K resolution (3.5 line pairs/mm). It produces an image in 3 seconds, according to the company.
The system is targeted at cranial, thoracic, abdominal, pelvic, and extremity studies, as well as emergency room procedures. It already has 510(k) clearance, and begins shipping in July.
By Brian CaseyAuntMinnie.com staff writer
March 4, 2002
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