Despite a snowstorm and flight cancellations, the RSNA show must go on

CHICAGO – A snowstorm hit Chicago just before the start of RSNA 2025, resulting in more than 1,400 cancelled flights to the city’s O’Hare and Midway airports. Nevertheless, attendees found a way to North America’s biggest medical conference, hopping onto next-day flights or even driving. Few wanted to miss one of the premier sources of new information about diagnostic imaging trends and technology. Here’s a look at some of the new products and technologies announced at the show – some are still in the approval process with Health Canada and/or the FDA, while others may be works-in-progress.

Siemens
Siemens Healthineers announced what a company spokesperson called “a huge re-launch of the ARTIS lineup, all of them AI-powered.” That group of digital interventional angiography systems now includes eight machines organized into three different families, the Artis genio, Artis icono.explore and Artis icono.vision/Artis pheno.vision.

At the same time, the company released what it calls Optiq AI, which enhances the performance of each new Artis system by improving the image quality through noise reduction. IR is facing more complex challenges, and precision in early-stage treatments of small anatomies is on the rise.

Siemens Healthineers also launched a new set of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled services to help healthcare providers address a range of challenges, from hands-on image interpretation to complex scenario planning for entire healthcare environments through the use of a ‘Digital Twin’.

To reduce the burden on radiology teams while helping them work more efficiently, a new, vendor-neutral services suite has been designed to support radiologists by taking over some of the more mundane processes. In this way, it can mitigate the effects of staff shortages and reduce radiologist burnout. Pilot projects have shown that by using the new AI-enabled solution, radiologists were able to annotate chest CT images up to 25 percent faster and experienced noticeably less cognitive load. The clinical accuracy of the results remained at the same high level, the company said.

As well, Siemens Healthineers is expanding its advisory offering to include the use of AI. The ActExcell Operational Twin combines predictive simulation with expert guidance to help customers improve operational performance. Based on customer-specific data, Siemens Healthineers’ in-house supercomputer simulates future scenarios, and uncovers the most effective improvements and the path to getting there.

Through ActExcell Operational Twin, the company’s advisors can suggest data-informed improvements, explain why certain strategies are preferable, and provide a robust simulation environment before measures are adopted in real-world settings.

Siemens Healthineers also introduced new capabilities for its Mammomat B.brilliant mammography system, advancing contrast-enhanced mammography and biopsy functionality. In addition to generating high-resolution 3D breast images via wide-angle tomosynthesis in only five seconds, the Mammomat B.brilliant will now be equipped with a newly developed image reconstruction technique for contrast-enhanced examinations.

If a biopsy is required following a contrast-enhanced finding, the procedure is typically performed using contrast as well, ensuring continuity in diagnostic precision. ClearCEM provides a contrast localizer image for tomosynthesis-guided biopsy, which enables targeting accuracy within ±1 mm, potentially reducing time-to-diagnosis. The combination of ClearCEM-powered scout imaging and tomosynthesis-based targeting within the same compression is designed to strengthen confidence and eases the biopsy procedure.

GE HealthCare
GE HealthCare said that since 2022, it has invested more than $3 billion in research and development, fueling a wave of innovation across equipment, radiopharmaceuticals and cloud and AI-enabled solutions. At the recent RSNA, some of the solutions it highlighted included a new photon counting CT (PCCT) system with advanced AI algorithms, called Photonova Spectra, which it calls a major milestone in the company’s CT innovation. (It is U.S. approval pending.)

Built on GE HealthCare’s proprietary Deep Silicon detector technology, Photonova Spectra is designed to deliver remarkable spectral and spatial resolution for ultra-high-definition (UHD) imaging with wide coverage, enabling fast acquisition speeds, precise visualization of anatomical structures and enhanced material separation.

According to GE HealthCare, this system is designed to maximize the vast amounts of data provided, harnessing up to 50 times more data than a conventional CT to enable advanced reconstruction techniques and precise outputs with the aim of supporting enhanced clinical decision-making and smooth workflows.

The company also announced its next-generation SIGNA MRI technology, also pending approval at the U.S FDA. A group of systems includes:

• SIGNA Bolt, which will be the company’s most advanced high-field, clinical wide bore 3.0T MRI system. It will combine ultra-high gradient performance, intelligent digital RF architecture, and sustainable design to deliver precision imaging, fast workflows, and clinical-to-research flexibility, all with low energy consumption and operational costs.
• SIGNA Sprint with Freelium aims to broaden access to sustainable and equitable MRI technology. With less than 1 percent helium usage compared to conventional magnets, Freelium is designed to provide effortless sustainability without compromising clinical and operational efficiency.

Both are powered by SIGNA One, an AI-powered workflow platform designed to improve the imaging experience by combining precision with simplicity.

On the mammography front, GE HealthCare showcased the Pristina Recon DL. This solution is GE HealthCare’s advanced 3D mammography reconstruction technology – which it calls the first to combine deep learning with iterative reconstruction to provide outstanding digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) image quality at a low patient radiation dose.

It also demoed the Vivid Pioneer: GE HealthCare’s most advanced and adaptive cardiovascular ultrasound platform. With one-click optimization, AI automation tools, simplified user interface and a lighter, compact, battery supported system, Vivid Pioneer is designed for extraordinary imaging, workflow, and comfort.

GE HealthCare showed several collaborative projects with AI-chip leader NVIDIA. The company is leveraging NVIDIA’s offerings and expertise in areas of physical AI, high performance computing, and simulation, which has the potential to reduce manual tasks, increase patient comfort, and alleviate radiologist burnout through AI-powered assistance.

Agfa HealthCare
Agfa HealthCare demonstrated advances in a number of systems, including MUSICA Xpert, its next-generation image processing software that offers enhanced contrast, gridless imaging, and selectable image preferences. Its radiologist-centric design was developed with radiologist feedback to reduce retakes and improve diagnostic confidence.

It also showed MUSICA Workstation enhancements that deliver improved cropping and color-coded exam trees, streamlined workflow and enhanced visual clarity. SmartPositioning QA provides pre- and post-exposure guidance, while cybersecurity has been upgraded with the migration to Windows 11, delivering stronger protection and performance.

In the area of digital radiography, it announced the new SmartGrip system for DR 600 – it enhances fine positioning with smoother motion control and auto-positioning transitions for greater precision and ease of use, the company said.

Canon
Canon Medical gained the attention of attendees with its display of a multi-position CT scanner, a joint-venture with Keio University in Japan. It’s the world’s first CT able to support scanning in the standing, sitting and supine positions.

It has already been launched in Japan, where it has generated significant clinical excitement. As part of a global deployment strategy, Canon is now introducing it to other markets.

The system is great for claustrophobic patients and for assessing musculoskeletal issues in more natural position, like standing and sitting. This may enable better diagnosis of conditions such as knee osteoarthritis and disc herniation – which cause pain when the patient is standing or sitting but not necessarily when lying down, as in a standard CT scanner.

For the first time, Canon exhibited its Photon Counting CT (PCCT), another work-in-progress. PCCT is an advanced diagnostic imaging system using a next-generation photon counting detector that captures the energy of individual X-ray photons. Unlike conventional CT, it enables multi-material differentiation and improved quantitative imaging, enhancing diagnostic accuracy.

Its higher resolution also improves lesion detectability at lower radiation doses. Canon said its approach to PCCT is aimed at overcoming the trade-offs and complexity of current-generation PCCT technologies.

The detectors that will equip Canon’s PCCT scanners will be made in Canada by Redlen Technologies, a company based in British Columbia.

Yet another Canon innovation: it continues to combine high-performance angiography with CT.

This advanced multi-modality solution is designed for the future of interventional radiology, combining the Alphenix Sky + angiography system with the award-winning Aquilion ONE / INSIGHT Edition CT scanner (pending Health Canada approval). It enables diagnosis, planning, treatment, and verification in one room, all but eliminating the need for patient transfer between departments.

In addition to improving safety and patient care, the Alphenix Sky + provides the world’s only high-definition flat panel detector with its unique 76 µm pixel technology. The Aquilion ONE / INSIGHT Edition features a 16 cm wide-area detector and includes Canon’s Precise IQ Engine (PIQE) Deep Learning Reconstruction, and AI-assisted workflow experience.

This combination delivers cross-sectional imaging with an ultra-fast 0.24 second rotation speed and wide-area detector, enabling full organ coverage in a single rotation.

For X-ray, Canon introduced new mobile system, Mobirex i9 / Smart Edition. This latest addition to the lineup is equipped with a monitor on the tube head for more efficient radiography workflow. The addition of the Camera Application and Laser Marker options enable Laser Navigation to enhance positioning accuracy. These advanced imaging support functions create an environment that allows the operator to focus more fully on patient care.

In the ultrasound sphere, Canon Medical Systems announced its Aplio i-series / Prism Edition diagnostic ultrasound systems with Innovation 2026. This new release upgrade to be Health Canada approved mid 2026, introduces advanced imaging technologies designed to help clinicians achieve high-quality diagnostic images with greater efficiency.

Canon Medical continues its legacy of leadership in Healthcare IT. They are continuing their innovation in areas like AI and automation, cloud computing, cybersecurity enhancements and enterprise imaging. Their Automation Platform is an AI-based, zero-click solution that uses deep learning for automated CT and MR stroke as well as Chest Pain packages. Vitrea continues to evolve with automated applications designed to streamline workflow using Just-In-Time (JIT) processing.

Christie Innomed
Christie Innomed is the Canadian distributor of DI equipment from Shimadzu Medical Systems, including mobile X-ray carts. The latest iteration, the MobileDaRt Evolution MX9, is a mobile X-ray system designed for use in various hospital settings, including patient rooms, emergency rooms. operating rooms and others. Shimadzu’s mobile X-ray system is known for providing intuitive maneuverability and excellent forward visibility during travel, in this way reducing stress and strain on the operator.

Shimadzu noted there has been an increase in demand for streamlined operations that deliver simplified workflow and reduce the frequency of retakes. Responding to the needs of the clinical environment, Shimadzu offers Vision Support, an imaging function utilizing camera applications.

For quality and efficiency, a camera looks for the angulation of the patient in the bed and calculates the geometry for the best image.

Also, the new MX9 includes a tube-mounted monitor. This provides a secondary workspace, making it possible to enhance workflow efficiency and provide essential information for dose management.

The MobileDaRt Evolution MX9 Version enhances workflow efficiency with a secondary monitor that conveniently displays patient information, live camera images, and protocol selections right at the operator’s fingertips.

Shimadzu also showed its Radiography system – RADspeed Pro SR5 for radiology suites.

The video image from a camera built into the collimator is displayed on the X-ray tube support control panel and high-voltage generator control panel monitors. The optical camera application provides an environment where medical personnel can focus on patient care.

Live View Display supports accurate positioning by showing overlay of detector area, irradiation field and AEC pickup fields, which are difficult to check directly. To reduce repeat exposures, patient body movement can be confirmed from the point that body movement detection mode is activated.

Philips
For its part, Philips unveiled a number of innovations, including BlueSeal Horizon, said to be an entirely new MRI that includes the world’s first helium-free 3T magnet. Not only is the scanner more environmentally friendly, as it doesn’t require the limited resource of helium, but it also doesn’t need the vent pipes that traditional MRIs require, meaning it can be sited more easily in hospitals.

Philips said it has led the development of helium-free MRI since 2018, with more than 2,000 of its 1.5T BlueSeal MRI systems installed worldwide, saving more than 6 million liters of liquid helium to date. It’s now bringing these benefits to the more powerful 3T scanner.

The company also announced the launch of Verida, called the world’s first detector-based spectral CT fully powered by AI. Philips said AI optimizes the entire imaging chain – lowering system noise, elevating image quality, and accelerating clinical workflow.

Spectral CT measures how tissues absorb different X-ray energy levels, enabling differentiation of materials that appear identical on conventional CT. Philips has pioneered detector-based spectral CT, delivering multiple spectral results from a single scan with no trade-offs in performance or scan time, the company said.

Now, by integrating AI across the imaging chain, from acquisition to reconstruction, Philips Verida generates better spectral image quality with minimal noise, in addition to high-definition conventional images. With its AI capabilities, it can achieve significant dose reduction without affecting image quality and reduces energy consumption by up to 45 percent.

On the enterprise software front, the company demoed its new Philips Advanced Visualization Workspace (AVW) 16, a vendor-neutral, multi-modality platform designed to help radiologists move ‘from images to answers’ with greater speed and confidence. It includes a new Cardiovascular Suite, which enables clinicians to conduct cardiac CT, MR, and vascular imaging and planning within a unified environment, supporting efficient workflows and customizable reporting.

With the AI-driven workflows and expanded multi-modality clinical portfolio in AVW 16, radiologists are supported in their interpretation of complex studies with speed, precision, and confidence, improving care delivery across cardiac, oncology, neuro, and vascular imaging studies.

According to Philips, by integrating automated workflows, quantitative analysis, and multi-modality view, AVW 16 turns complex imaging data into clear, actionable insights – reducing reading times by up to 44 percent in key applications like longitudinal brain analysis.

Philips also showed its Advanced Visualization Workspace on Philips HealthSuite, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering enables care teams to move seamlessly from image to diagnosis, enhancing efficiency and supporting decision-making. By extending advanced visualization capabilities to the cloud, the solution enables healthcare organizations to scale access to advanced tools, reduce IT complexity, and provide secure, anytime, anywhere access to studies.