Skip to main contentMed MissionSuppliesGet a quote
Equipment buying guides
Imaging & radiology · 3 min read

CT-guided procedures: buy the right guidance package

Compare biopsy mode, step-and-shoot controls, CT fluoroscopy and planning aids before treating a scanner as an intervention service.

Editorially reviewed
A Siemens SOMATOM CT scanner at Northern Light CA Dean Hospital, Maine, photographed in September 2024. Equipment example.
A Siemens SOMATOM CT scanner at Northern Light CA Dean Hospital, Maine, photographed in September 2024. Equipment example. Illustrative photograph; the exact configuration discussed may differ.Sarah Sol / USDA Rural Development · Public domain
About this photograph

Not evidence of MMS stock, recommended options, current support, performance or endorsement.

Your buying summary

The decision at a glance.

Start here
Specify the required guidance function with the clinical team.
Spend more when
A demonstrated limitation justifies a different option or dedicated capacity.
Watch the budget
Include the full procedure slot and supporting pathway.
Check the support
Confirm exact software, controls and room acceptance.

Ask the supplier

  1. Which imaging and guidance functions do the procedures require?
  2. Which displays, controls and applications are included and eligible?
  3. What routine capacity and supporting services will each procedure consume?
Sources:GE HealthCareSiemens HealthineersInternational Atomic Energy Agency

A biopsy label can hide three different capabilities

A scanner's biopsy setup screen, intermittent in-room imaging and continuous CT fluoroscopy are not interchangeable purchases. GE's historical Revolution EVO extract distinguishes biopsy mode from SmartStep step-and-shoot imaging and SmartView continuous CT fluoroscopy. Both named intervention options have availability caveats.

Use these distinctions to write the specification with the intervention team. Require the intended function on the actual scanner, software and controls being offered. Do not infer that an older unit has every feature described in a later family brochure, or that a named option is currently available for retrofit.

Sources:GE HealthCare

Compare guidance aids with the work they actually do

Siemens describes myNeedle Companion as a combination of planning/guidance software and dedicated imaging protocols on selected systems, with myNeedle Laser as an option. That is a different purchase question from simply adding an in-room monitor. Ask which planning, trajectory display and laser functions the proposed package provides.

The product's research footnotes include work performed primarily with angiography systems. Those results do not establish the same accuracy, dose or procedure-time improvement for the CT configuration being considered. Let the clinical team evaluate the relevant workflow rather than attaching a published percentage benefit to every eligible scanner.

Sources:Siemens Healthineers

Price the controls, access and room as one package

An intervention offer should identify the in-room display, mounting, hand or foot controls, cables, software and table configuration. Missing small components can prevent use of an otherwise functioning option. Check who installs and accepts them, and whether their location works with the intended procedure setup.

Walk through patient transfer, table travel, operator access, equipment positioning and the route for assistance. Include the practical space needed for sterile supplies and any clinically required monitoring or anaesthesia equipment. The largest item on the room plan is not necessarily the item that determines whether the work fits.

Sharing the routine scanner has a real capacity cost

A low-volume programme may make sensible use of an eligible routine scanner. Model the full reserved slot, including preparation, procedure time, room turnover and recovery arrangements, rather than using acquisition time as the measure of capacity. Decide how urgent routine work will be handled during that slot.

In a hypothetical service with four procedures each reserving 45 minutes, three scanner hours are occupied even if exposure occupies only a small fraction of the time. Those hours must come from available capacity, a revised schedule or work moved elsewhere. A dedicated system becomes worth comparing when the shared schedule repeatedly blocks important work, not merely because a specialist option exists.

Staff protection is part of opening the service

Image-guided work can place staff close to the patient during imaging. IAEA's guidance treats staff protection and the arrangement of protective devices as a specific part of this work, with CT-related guidance addressed separately. Fund a qualified assessment of the actual room and procedure programme.

Do not substitute a generic apron purchase or a vendor's dose-reduction claim for that assessment. Include the appropriate protection, training, monitoring and local rules in the readiness plan. The buying decision is whether the service can meet those obligations; operating techniques and exposure settings belong with the qualified clinical and radiation-protection teams.

Sources:International Atomic Energy Agency

Follow the procedure through to a useful result

Equipment value depends on what happens after the scan-guided step. For biopsy work, establish the sample-handling, pathology and result pathway. For any planned procedure, define the necessary staffing, supplies, observation and response arrangements. A successful scanner demonstration does not establish those services.

Choose the eligible upgrade when it delivers the accepted function economically within a workable schedule. Choose greater capability or dedicated capacity when a specific limitation justifies it. Defer ownership when the supporting pathway cannot yet deliver the intended result, while preserving a practical referral option.

Compare the options.

SmartStep

Capability
Step-and-shoot example.
Best fit
Accepted intermittent-guidance workflow.
Cost to watch
Controls and option eligibility.

SmartView

Capability
Continuous CT fluoroscopy example.
Best fit
Accepted need for continuous capability.
Cost to watch
Complete in-room package.

myNeedle package

Capability
Planning/guidance with optional laser.
Best fit
Specific guidance aids earn their cost.
Cost to watch
Software and hardware configuration.
Option notes, costs & support 3 options

Revolution EVO with confirmed SmartStep

Intermittent guidance example

Best for
A team accepting step-and-shoot functionality for its defined work.
Why consider it
Named function distinct from continuous CT fluoroscopy.
The trade-off
Historical brochure does not establish retrofit eligibility.
Price & package
Installed controls, display and licence.
Support
Verify exact scanner/software compatibility.
Sources:GE HealthCare

Revolution EVO with confirmed SmartView

Continuous CT fluoroscopy example

Best for
An approved programme requiring that capability.
Why consider it
Different acquisition function, not a renamed biopsy setup screen.
The trade-off
Room workflow and staff-protection needs remain.
Price & package
Complete option and recurring service.
Support
Demonstrate the supplied controls and application.
Sources:GE HealthCare

Eligible CT with myNeedle Companion

Planning/guidance package example

Best for
The team can use the specified planning and optional laser functions.
Why consider it
Makes planning aids a separate configuration decision.
The trade-off
Do not generalize angiography study results to CT.
Price & package
Software, eligible hardware and optional laser.
Support
Verify selected-system and regional availability.
Sources:Siemens Healthineers
Beyond the purchase price

Budget for the complete service.

Procedure capability cost = eligible scanner options + room and protection work + staff and supplies + quality/support + displaced routine capacity.

  • Guidance function
  • Controls and mounting
  • Procedure pathway
  • Occupied scanner time
  • Protection and training

Before you commit.

  • Specify function rather than biopsy label.
  • Demonstrate the exact option.
  • Walk the occupied room.
  • Fund staff-protection assessment.
  • Test scheduling and downstream services.
Further checks & evidence limits

Questions to resolve

  • Which imaging and guidance functions do the procedures require?
  • Which displays, controls and applications are included and eligible?
  • What routine capacity and supporting services will each procedure consume?

What the evidence does not establish

  • No procedural instructions, exposure settings or clinical superiority claim.
  • Historical EVO specification is not proof of current option availability.
  • No CT outcome inference from angiography studies.

Sources & supporting evidence.

Manufacturer claims and seller offers are identified below. Prices apply to the stated offer and review date; confirm availability, configuration and delivered cost.

  1. Revolution EVO intervention specification extractGE HealthCare · manufacturer · checked October 18, 2026

    Historical two-page OEM extract distinguishes SmartStep step-and-shoot, SmartView continuous CT fluoroscopy and biopsy setup mode. Optional and market availability caveat retained.

  2. myNeedle CompanionSiemens Healthineers · manufacturer · checked October 18, 2026

    Written product description identifies myNeedle Guide, optional myNeedle Laser and selected supported systems. Angiography-based study footnotes not generalized to CT outcomes.

  3. SSG-46: local rules for image-guided interventionsInternational Atomic Energy Agency · international-agency · checked October 18, 2026

    Published guidance paragraphs3.79–3.88 read; supports explicit staff-protection planning. Not a site radiation assessment or operator protocol.

Put the guide to work.

Send MMS your equipment list, destination and budget. We can help you compare a complete package.

Discuss your equipment