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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting collimator recognition, seating, exchange, lock, or automated collimator changer issues before repair escalation.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
Confirm the Symbia Intevo is not actively being used for a patient scan.
If the issue occurs during setup for a clinical study, have Nuclear Medicine staff stop the exchange attempt and use approved downtime workflow or another available imaging system if needed.
Expected outcome: No patient is scanned or positioned while collimator seating or recognition is uncertain.
Confirm the Exact Collimator Complaint
Ask staff what occurred during the collimator exchange.
Determine whether the issue involves:
- Collimator not recognized
- Wrong collimator displayed
- Collimator exchange will not start
- Collimator exchange stops mid-process
- Collimator appears seated but system reports an error
- Collimator door, bed storage, or changer movement issue
- One detector affected or both detectors affected
- Issue occurs with one collimator set or all collimators
Expected outcome: The failure is separated into a recognition, seating, exchange, or mechanical movement concern.
Check the System State Before Reattempting Exchange
Verify the system is idle and not in an acquisition, QC, calibration, reconstruction, or patient workflow.
Confirm there are no active motion warnings, emergency stop conditions, gantry collision warnings, or room safety interlocks.
Expected outcome: The system is in a safe state where collimator exchange can be evaluated.
Inspect for Obvious Physical Obstruction
From outside the system, look for anything blocking the collimator changer path, detector movement, bed storage area, or exchange area.
Check for linens, positioning aids, straps, phantoms, patient accessories, or loose items left near the detectors or table.
Expected outcome: No external object is preventing the collimator from moving, seating, or locking.
If an obstruction is found and safely removed, reattempt the exchange according to normal operator workflow. If the exchange completes and the collimator is recognized correctly, stop.
Verify the Correct Collimator Is Being Used
Confirm the collimator being selected or exchanged matches the intended study protocol.
Verify staff are not attempting to use a mismatched or unsupported collimator for the selected acquisition.
Symbia Intevo systems may use automated collimator changer functionality, which Siemens describes as integrated collimator storage for two collimator sets in the system bed.
Expected outcome: The selected collimator, stored collimator position, and study protocol are consistent.
Check for Improper Seating or Incomplete Locking
If safe to access, visually confirm the collimator appears fully seated and evenly aligned.
Look for uneven gaps, tilted positioning, incomplete engagement, or signs that the collimator did not fully lock into place.
Do not force the collimator or attempt to defeat mechanical locks.
Expected outcome: The collimator is either clearly seated correctly or the issue is identified as a seating or locking problem.
Check the Collimator Exchange Workflow
Have trained Nuclear Medicine staff repeat the normal collimator exchange process only if the area is clear and the system allows it.
Watch for:
- Error message timing
- Movement stopping early
- Unusual motor noise
- Changer hesitation
- Detector not aligning correctly
- Collimator not reaching final seated position
Expected outcome: The failure point is identified without bypassing normal safety controls.
Power Cycle Only When Safe and Appropriate
If the system software appears to be holding an old recognition state or the exchange status does not clear, perform a controlled restart only if permitted by site procedure and the system is not in clinical use.
Do not power cycle during active acquisition, image reconstruction, or patient positioning.
Expected outcome: Temporary software state or communication errors clear after restart.
If the collimator is recognized correctly after restart and exchange completes normally, document the finding and stop.
Try a Known-Good Collimator Position or Set If Available
If the issue appears limited to one collimator set or storage position, compare behavior with another known-good collimator or position using normal operator workflow.
Do not swap components beyond approved external handling.
Expected outcome: The problem is narrowed to one collimator, one storage position, one detector side, or the overall changer/recognition system.
Review System Error Messages and Logs
Record the exact system message, code, detector side, collimator type, and when the fault occurred.
Note whether the error appears during exchange start, movement, seating, lock confirmation, or recognition.
Expected outcome: Repair escalation has useful fault detail instead of a general “collimator problem” note.
Check for Signs of Mechanical or Safety Risk
Stop troubleshooting immediately if there is:
- Grinding, binding, or repeated motor strain
- Visible collimator misalignment
- Dropped, damaged, or impacted collimator
- Incomplete lock indication
- Unusual vibration
- Burning smell, heat, or electrical odor
- Repeated failed exchange attempts
Expected outcome: The device is not operated in a condition that could damage the system or create a patient/staff safety hazard.
Verify Final Recognition Before Returning to Service
If the issue is resolved, confirm the system correctly identifies the installed collimator and allows the intended acquisition setup.
Confirm Nuclear Medicine staff are satisfied that the correct collimator is displayed for the selected study.
Expected outcome: The system is returned to service only after collimator recognition and seating are verified.
If the Problem Persists
If the collimator still will not seat, lock, exchange, or be recognized after external checks, common user-accessible causes have been ruled out.
The issue may involve the automated collimator changer, collimator recognition sensors, locking mechanism, detector-side hardware, motion control, alignment, or system software communication.
The device should be:
- Removed from clinical use
- Labeled Out of Service
- Escalated to Siemens service or qualified imaging repair support
- Evaluated before any further patient imaging
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. A collimator that is not positively seated and recognized should not be used for patient imaging.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot collimator exchange problems with a patient on the table or positioned near the gantry. Collimators are heavy precision components, and seating or locking uncertainty is both an image quality and safety concern. Move the patient away from the system before troubleshooting.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Nuclear Medicine reported the Symbia Intevo would not recognize the selected LEHR collimator after an attempted exchange."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"External inspection found the collimator exchange path clear, but the collimator did not reach a confirmed seated and locked state during normal exchange workflow."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Removed the Symbia Intevo from service, labeled the system Out of Service, recorded the collimator error message and detector side, and escalated to Siemens service for collimator changer evaluation."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact collimator type involved
- Detector side affected, if shown
- Whether one or both collimators are affected
- Whether one storage position is affected
- Error message or fault code
- Whether the exchange starts, stops, or never initiates
- Any unusual sounds during exchange
- Any visible misalignment or uneven seating
- Alarm behavior, motion warnings, or lock indication behavior
- Accessories, positioning aids, linens, straps, or phantoms removed from the exchange area
- Power behavior before and after any controlled restart
- Environmental factors near the gantry, detector heads, table, or collimator storage area
- Indicator lights, detector-side messages, or system status indicators
- Whether the issue cleared after controlled restart
- Whether the final device status is in service or out of service
Final Thought
Collimator issues on a SPECT / CT System should be handled carefully and logically. Start with patient safety, verify the system state, check for obvious external causes, and document the exact failure point. If the collimator cannot be confirmed as seated, locked, and correctly recognized, remove the system from service and escalate for repair.
That is successful troubleshooting.