Medical technicians reduce radiation dose in imaging processes

Medical technicians at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg are developing the first individually configurable computer tomograph (CT). The aim of the joint research project of Magdeburg University, metraTec GmbH and Dornheim Medical Images GmbH is to create a configurable, open-interface and dosage-sparing computer tomograph – KIDS-CT for short – under the umbrella of the STIMULATE research campus.

In contrast to conventional imaging technology, it will then be possible to equip the CT with application-specific functions using apps and thus to deploy it on a usage-orientated basis in hospitals and research. The project will be supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with EUR 4.5 million over the next three years. A prototype, called a demonstrator, is to be produced by the end of 2020.

Ready-made no more

“Conventional computer tomographs are closed systems, ready-made, so to speak,” explains Prof Georg Rose of the Chair in Healthcare Telematics and Medical Engineering and spokesman of the STIMULATE research campus. They are not freely changeable in their function and application, he says; adaptations or software changes are not possible. Moreover, in general these devices cannot communicate with other systems, such as cameras, and include their information. “We now want to develop a system that accommodates different uses though the option of equipping it with individual software and hardware applications,” says Rose. Certain areas of the body could thus be presented better and, above all, with a small radiation load. Like apps on a smartphone, users are to be able to define their own application areas and load extensions.

According to Prof Georg Rose, one focus when it comes to specific applications will be the examination of children. “A camera observes the child lying agitatedly in the CT and passes the information on to the CT so that the image interference due to the movement can be corrected.” In addition to the clinical applications, this CT is also of interest for research. Various scientific examinations and analyses could take place with a device, the medical technician continues. “Instead of preconceived software, various apps allow various functions to be called into action.”

Developed with expertise of various disciplines

Scientists of various disciplines are involved in the development of this innovative computer tomograph. They come from the faculties of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Medicine of Magdeburg University. Thus, the team, led by junior professor and mechanical engineer Elmar Woschke, uses simulation software to determine in advance the critical oscillations that must be minimised in order to obtain precise images.

Prof Thilo Pionteck of the Chair for Hardware-Oriented Technical Computer Science is collaborating with the company metraTec on transferring outwards in real-time the enormous data quantities generated by the detector rotating around the patient.

After the prototype has been developed, the new technology is to lead to the founding of a new company, says medical technician Rose. “We thus want to take a further important step towards a high-tech medical engineering campus where science and business are virtually side-by-side and work closely together.”

The STIMULATE research campus is a public-private partnership between the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and over 25 partners, most of whom come from the field of medical technology. These include medium-sized firms, research institutes as well as cross-regional companies.

Source: ww.uni-magdeburg.de