Siemens Healthineers, Cercare Medical Team Up on CT Perfusion-Guided Stroke Treatment

Cercare Medical and Siemens Healthineers are joining forces to accelerate the adoption of Cone-Beam CT Perfusion (CBCT-P) in acute stroke care and to leverage its capability to show blood flow in brain tissue and visualize whether different areas are being adequately supplied with oxygen and nutrients.

The joint solution combines the Cercare Medical Neurosuite (CMN), an integrated portfolio of advanced, vendor-neutral imaging software solutions that deliver automated perfusion analysis across computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cone-beam CT , with the Siemens Healthineers Syngo DynaCT Multiphase, a 3D acquisition protocol that enables up to 10 CBCT angiography phases.

“This collaboration allows us to scale perfusion imaging globally,” Cercare Medical Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Andersen said. “Through our standalone Cercare Medical Neurosuite offering, we can address perfusion-only opportunities while ensuring flexibility for stroke centers seeking advanced decision support directly in the angio suite.”

Combined, the two solutions enable advanced perfusion and metabolic imaging directly in the angiography suite, helping clinicians diagnose stroke and, during intervention, reducing the need to transfer the patient from an angiography room to the imaging modality. This capability can potentially streamline workflows and shorten treatment time, a critical factor for the outcome of stroke patients.

Stroke remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, with one in four adults expected to experience a stroke in their lifetime. Since millions of neurons are lost each minute, rapid and accurate imaging is essential to guide treatment decisions. The solution supports immediate assessment of tissue viability during and after thrombectomy—including detection of distal occlusions, microvascular disturbances, and the no-reflow phenomenon.

“By combining Cercare’s advanced perfusion software with our Syngo DynaCT technology, we deliver a comprehensive solution that supports clinicians to care for their patients across the full treatment pathway. Together, we are enabling a new standard in interventional stroke care,” stated Carsten Bertram, head of Advanced Therapies at Siemens Healthineers. 

Cone-Beam CT Perfusion delivers near CT-like perfusion maps on angiography systems, providing clinicians with intra-procedural insight into both conventional perfusion parameters and advanced metabolic biomarkers.¹ 

The solution’s scientific foundation has been established in close collaboration with Professor Johannes Kaesmacher at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital in Switzerland; additional projects are underway at three other hospitals. “You can only treat what you can see. CBCT perfusion delivers crucial insights right in the angio suite, when standard imaging like CT or MR is not immediately available,” Kaesmacher commented. “This supports real-time imaging-guided decision-making in the acute phase of treatment. This includes the assessment of residual occlusions, no reflow, and complications as well as predicting brain tissue viability and clinical outcomes.”

Cercare Medical provides advanced perfusion imaging solutions. With fully automated, vendor-neutral software for CT and MRI perfusion post-processing, the company supports clinicians globally with tools that enhance diagnostics for stroke, oncology, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological conditions. Cercare’s proprietary biomarkers and automated pipelines enable better imaging maps, improving speed and confidence in clinical decision-making.

Siemens Healthineers is a global provider of healthcare equipment, solutions and services, with activities in more than 180 countries and direct representation in over 70. The group comprises Siemens Healthineers AG, listed as SHL in Frankfurt, Germany, and its subsidiaries. The company is principally active in imaging, diagnostics, cancer care, and minimally invasive therapies, augmented by digital technology and artificial intelligence. In fiscal 2025, (ended Sept. 30, 2025), Siemens Healthineers employed approximately 74,000 workers worldwide and generated around €23.4 billion in revenue.

Reference
¹ Conventional perfusion parameters: CBF: Cerebral Blood Flow; CBV: Cerebral Blood Volume; MTT: Mean Transit Time of the passage of blood; Tmax: The timepoint at which the residue function attains its maximum value. Advanced biomarkers: CTH: Capillary Transit time Heterogeneity. Shows microvascular flow heterogeneity; OEF: Oxygen Extraction Fraction. Reflects the efficiency of oxygen utilization by the tissue; CMRO2: Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Oxygen (CMRO2 = OEF x CBF). Represents the rate at which oxygen is consumed by brain tissue.

The solution is CE-marked under the European Medical Device Regulation (EU 2017/745) and FDA cleared under 510(k) K253831.