Being first is a natural desire for Wolfgang Lemmen, CEO and Director of Computed Tomography at Radprax in Wuppertal, Germany. In computed tomography (CT) alone, Radprax was among the first in Germany to acquire a 16-slice SOMATOM® Sensation, and installed a system with the Straton® X-ray tube and its z-sharp technology even before it was officially introduced. They also invested in a SOMATOM Sensation 64 in 2005 and in a SOMATOM Definition Dual Source CT just a year later – the investments pay off for the private practice and its patients.

“The combination of image quality, optimized postprocessing, and speed of SOMATOM Definition enables us to diagnose patients which were problematic before – those that are difficult to position, can’t lie still for long, or suffer from dyspnea,” says Lemmen. He cites speed – and especially the high temporal resolution of the system for cardiac exams – as the main driver behind the purchase. The fact that patients’ heart rates don’t have to be slowed down with the help of beta-blockers for cardiac exams is a great feature that relaxes both patients and staff. Exiting, on the other hand, is the further development of dual energy, says Lemmen.