CT SCANNER COMPARISON CHART
Philips Brilliance 16-slice (8.0 MHU) vs. Toshiba Aquilion 16
| CT Scanner Model | > Brilliance 16-slice | > Aquilion 16 |
| Company | Philips Healthcare | Toshiba |
| FDA Clearance/ CE Mark | YES | 2002 |
| Intended Use | General radiology | Neuro, general radiology |
| >> GANTRY | ||
| Geometry | Rotate-rotate, 16-slice | Rotate-rotate, slip ring |
| Detectors, type | Solid-state GOS | Solid-state Gd(2)O(2)S |
| Detector width | 0.75 mm | 32 mm |
| # of rows | 16 | 40 |
| Reconstructed slice width options (mm) |
0.6 – 12 | 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 |
| Elements per row | 672 | 896 |
| # of detection elements | 16,128 | 14,336 active |
| Rotation times, sec., 360° | 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2; 0.4 | 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.75, 1, 1.5 |
| Partial | 0.28, 0.33 (240) | 0.25, 0.32 |
| X-ray fan beam angle | 57 degrees | 49.2 degrees |
| Gantry tilt | +/- 30 degrees | +/- 30 degrees |
| Gantry dimensions (cm) (H x W x D) |
203 x 239 x 94 | 195 x 233 x 96 |
| Gantry weight | 1764 kg | 1750 kg |
| Gantry aperture | 70 cm | 72 cm |
| Scan localizer | Laser | Laser |
| >>X-RAY TUBE | ||
| X-ray tube anode | N/S | Tungsten, molybdenum, graphite |
| Heat storage, HU | 8 (MRC technology) | 7.5 MHU |
| Dissipation rate, HU/min | 1608 kHU | 1386 kHU/min. max. |
| Tube cooling | Oil/air | Oil/air |
| Tube focal spot (mm) | Small 0.5 x 1, large 1 x 1 | 1.6×1.4, 0.9×0.8 (IEC standard) |
| Optional x-ray tubes | N/S | N/A |
| >>X-RAY GENERATOR | ||
| kW output | 60 | 60 |
| kVp range | 90, 120, 140 | 80, 100, 120, 135 |
| mA range | 20 to 500 in 1mA increments | 10 to 580 |
| >>SPIRAL SCANNING | ||
| Max scan time | 100 seconds | 100 seconds |
| Max scan volume | 175 cm | 175 cm |
| Spatial resolution, lp/cm | Up to 24 | 18 |
| Pitch | 0.2 to 1.7 | 0.625 to 0.906/1.109 – 1.5 |
| Reconstruction time per image |
N/S | Up to 12 ips |
| >>PATIENT TABLE | ||
| Vertical | 58 to 103 cm | 30 to 94.4 cm |
| Longitudinal | 190 cm | 219 cm |
| Scannable range | 175 cm | 180 cm |
| Max load capacity w/ accuracy (kg) |
204 +/-0.25 | 205 +/-0.25, option 230 +/-0.25 |
| >>IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION | ||
| Computer CPU | Intel, Windows OS | Dual Intel Xeon |
| Scan FOVs | Up to 50 | 18, 24, 32, 40, 50 |
| Reconstruction matrices | 512×512; 768×768; 1024×1024 | 512 X 512 |
| Reconstruction time, sec | N/S | Up to 12 frames/s |
| Per slice, sec | Up to 20ips w/ 3-D cone beam | 0.035 |
| For localization scan, sec | N/S | Real time |
| >> DISPLAY | ||
| Monitor size | 19 inch LCD | 2 – 19 inch color LCD |
| Matrices | 1280 x 1024 pixels | 1280 x 1024 pixels |
| Range of CT numbers | -1024 to 3072 | -32,768 to 32,767 |
| Image enlargement | Available | Up to 20x |
| Maximum # of slices displayed at once |
1,000 w/ scrolling | 24 |
| >> IMAGE STORAGE | ||
| Hard disk, MB | 146 GB | 218 GB |
| # of online images | 250,000 | 100,000 512 x 512 |
| Archival storage | DVD-RAM, CD-R | 9.4 GB DVD-RAM DL |
| >>RADIATION DOSE | ||
| Dose-modulation technique | DoseRight ACS DoseRight D-DOM DoseRight Z-DOM |
YES |
| Pediatric-specific dose control |
Pediatric protocols | YES |
| Prospective ECG gating | Available | NO |
| Retrospective ECG | Available | NO |
| >>PERFORMANCE | ||
| Min. inter-scan time, sec | 0.5 | 0, with no movement |
| Dynamic scan rate scans/min. |
2284 | 120 |
| High-contrast spatial res. | Ultra-high resolution | 350 microns |
| 0% MTF, lp/cm | 24 | 18 |
| 50% MTF, lp/cm | 8 | 8 |
| Low contrast resolution (mm at % at 4 rads) |
4 at 0.3% | 2 at 0.3% at 22.3 mGV |
| Noise (% at 2.5 rads) | 0.27 | <0.5 |
| CT Angiography | Available | Standard |
| CT Simulation | Available | Optional-third party |
| 3-D Package | Available | Standard |
| DICOM 3.0 interface | YES | YES |
| Additional features | N/S | Cerebral blood-flow analysis, quantitative bone-mineral analysis, CT fluoro, SureStart contrast tracking, 378 programmable protocols, 32 recordable voice commands, multi-view MPR, AutoFilm, AutoSend, AutoArchive, RealEC dose reduction |
The Bottom Line: Both CT Scanners are excellent systems made by strong and efficient manufacturers. Each system will prove to be a workhorse. The Toshiba Aquilion has the standard feature of CTA and 3-D where on the Philips Brilliance system, it would be an “option”. However, the Toshiba will cost more on the used market along with the higher price for service and parts. Considering these two additional factors, you would really need to review your patient volume along with your local “allowable” reimbursements in order to truly make an educated decision that best fits your application.
Posted by:
Nathan Welch
MRI/CT Specialist
407.438.7847
Nathan@AmberUSA.com
