Picker International began shipping active-shield 1.5-tesla magneticresonance imaging systems in the fourth quarter of 1990. Threeof those units were installed before the Radiological Societyof North America meeting in November. Picker now offers the

Three former Fonar executives have joined with a fourth partnerto form Imaging Systems International of Boca Raton, FL, a magneticresonance imaging center firm. ISI's first center, North GeorgiaDiagnostic Imaging of Atlanta, opened in June, according to

E-Z-Em, the dominant supplier of barium sulfate contrast mediafor gastrointestinal imaging, agreed last week to invest a minimumof $1.1 million in the three-dimensional image processing effortsof ISG Technologies of Mississauga, Ontario. The two firms

Delays at the Food and Drug Administration have left Dornier withouta production line shock-wave lithotripter approved for sale inthe U.S. Dornier Medizintechnik of Munich has discontinued productionof its HM-4 lithotripter, while the FDA has not yet

Philips and AT&T have agreed to restructure their CommViewjoint venture for the supply of picture archiving and communicationssystems technology. Details of the new structure have not beenfinalized, said Michael P. Moakley, president and CEO of

Two top managers in the Philips picture archiving and communicationssystems business resigned late last year. Philips remains stronglycommitted to its CommView PACS joint venture with AT&T despitethe departures, said Janet Collins, director of

Declining Medicare reimbursement for magnetic resonance imagingscans combined with bargain-shopping by managed-health-care groupsspells trouble for high-field MRI centers, said Leonard F. Vernon,president and CEO of Imaging Management Associates. Centers

Morgan W. Nields, chairman and CEO of Fischer Imaging, has investedconsiderable time and resources in developing business connectionsin the Soviet Union. He has traveled to that country a half-dozentimes since joining Comed, a U.S./USSR joint venture,

Tight reimbursement and improvements in low-field technology havecombined to force down the prices of magnetic resonance imagingsystems sold in Japan and Europe. Japanese MRI prices have beendeclining for at least two years, and this trend has spread