Duke University School of Medicine's radiology department has installed one of Siemens Healthineers' new Naeotom Alpha photon-counting CT scanners.
Photon-counting CT differs from traditional CT technology by using a one-step conversion process to convert x-ray photons into an electrical current that then generates medical images, rather than the two-step process used by conventional CT.
Duke co-principal investigators Dr. Ehsan Samei and Dr. Daniele Marin said a consortium of researchers, both from within and outside their department, will pursue multiple investigational projects to explore the potential of the new CT scanner for advancing patient care.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the Naeotom Alpha CT scanner in September. The first human subject scan is anticipated later this month, the Duke researchers said.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
