Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison plan to begin a study that will use GE Healthcare's silicon-based photon counting CT system with human subjects in December.
The silicon detectors may enable higher spatial and spectral resolution simultaneously, due to their material purity, geometric design, and multibin technology, GE said.
GE's Photon counting CT system. Image courtesy of GE Healthcare.The device has also been used at the Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden. The new prototype now features a larger detector, ECG-gated cardiac scan capability, and faster acquisition speed; the university's work with the system will evaluate its reconstruction methods, image presentation workflows, and clinical benefits for specific pathologies and disease types, according to the firm.
![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)
