December 13, 2011 — Siemens announced its computed tomography (CT) iterative reconstruction algorithm SAFIRE – Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction – has been cleared for domestic sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This new generation of image reconstruction software and hardware allows for a robust reduction of radiation dose in CT examinations.
Additionally, the use of projection raw data during the iterative image improvement process enables a reduction of subtle image artifacts; this provides a further improvement in general image quality.
SAFIRE helps users reduce dose by up to 60 percent compared to previous filtered back projection techniques, as documented in the FDA clearance letter.
“From a clinical perspective, SAFIRE helps to significantly reduce radiation exposure across the whole portfolio of clinical applications,” said Elliot Fishman, M.D., CT section chief of radiology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, and a member of the SIERRA (Siemens Radiation Reduction Alliance) dose expert panel.
The extremely fast reconstruction speed of 20 images per second enables reconstruction of a typical high-resolution thorax examination of 30 cm in just 15 seconds. With this, the system can be applied routinely in clinical practice.
Unveiled last November at RSNA 2010 as a work-in-progress, SAFIRE is available for Siemens Somatom Definition Flash and Somatom Definition AS CT systems; it will be available on the Definition DS in mid-2012.
In the meantime, the company’s current iterative reconstruction method, IRIS (Iterative Reconstruction in Image Space), will remain available for Somatom Definition dual-source systems. Additionally, due to the overwhelming response to IRIS in the Siemens CT install base, it will be available for Somatom Emotion 16 (2007) and Somatom Sensation 40, 64 and Open CT systems.
Siemens will exhibit in booths #442, 822 and 1642 at RSNA 2011.
For more information: www.siemens.com/healthcare
March 03, 2026 
