Source: Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.A new ultra-high resolution computed tomography (UHR CT) system that recently received FDA clearance opens the door for new possibilities. With a resolution of 150 microns, it more than doubles the resolution of CT scanners in use today.

The Aquilion Precision CT system from Cannon Medical Systems incorporates a new detector, tube, gantry and reconstruction technologies. The precision UHR detector has 160 rows that are only 0.25-mm thick and with 1792 detector channels it provides four times the amount of data when compared to previous systems.

The UHR CT features an x-ray tube with a focal point of just 0.4 mm by 0.5 mm, a couch with a two-step slide mechanism and data transfer rates up to 10 gigabits per second. The increased precision of the digital imagery produced, in part made possible by a 1,024 x 1,024 reconstruction matrix, provides for an expanded view of soft tissue structures, including complex joints, tumors, legions and other regions of interest.