Toshiba Medical is releasing a new CT scanner, the Aquilion Lighting 80, a device that features 80 detector rows capable of imaging 160 slices per rotation.It’s a mid-price scanner that can be used for full-body scanning and a variety of routine everyday exams, offering some of the features found on more expensive systems. It can, for example, do image reconstruction at 50 frames per second at full resolution and and can handle particularly large patients thanks to its 31 inch (78 cm) bore hole. Slices are only .5 mm in width, some of the narrowest in the industry, providing benefits to the production of high quality images.From Toshiba:

To simplify exams, the Aquilion Lightning 80 comes standard with Adaptive Diagnostic solutions, such as Single Energy Metal Artifact Reduction (SEMAR) and SURESubtractionTM. The system can also be reconfigured from 40 to 80 to 160 slices without replacing hardware.SURESubtraction™ has the ability to remove bone and calcium from data sets while allowing clinicians to view tumors or arteries at risk. Currently available for brain, carotid, ortho and lung exams.Using Toshiba’s fully automated non-rigid registration algorithm, bone, calcium and stent subtraction can be accomplished using a low dose unenhanced scan prior to contrast delivery. Superior visualization of the vertebral arteries and internal carotids can be seen, saving time and improving diagnostic accuracy.Toshiba’s SEMAR (Single Energy Metal Artifact Reduction) utilizes a sophisticated iterative reconstruction technique to reduce metallic artifact, improving visualization of implants, supporting bone and the adjacent soft tissues for a clearer and more confident diagnosis. SEMAR can be set in the scan protocol so the reconstructions are fully automatic requiring no additional operator input.