CT

Vendors geared up for their biggest week of the year, jockeying for position with news about offerings, and hinting at what is yet to come. Digital mammography market to nearly double this year in U.S. Flat panels deliver more dose than image intensifiers R&D seeks stroke therapy with ultrasound microbubbles Commentary: The bumpy road to molecular imaging

CereTom checks twins after surgeryCarestream preps RIS/PACS upgrades for RSNA

Week in review:Heart disease and cancer news dominated.Feature stories: Acusphere preps novel ultrasound agent for FDA submission Cardiac IT morphs to handle images and patient data PET scans may clear path for noninvasive lung cancer treatment Contrast agent illuminates breast cancer with near-infrared light Commentary: Truth versus the frontal parietal network

Late percutaneous coronary interventions do little goodIf you’re going to open a blocked coronary, do it quick or don’t bother, at least if you’re trying to have a long-lasting effect. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) using stents and balloons won’t make any difference in preventing second heart attacks, death, or development of heart failure if performed three or more days after a heart attack, according to research presented this week at the American Heart Association meeting.Toshiba launches faCTor64 studyGerman firm unveils dose shieldACR schedules ‘face’ time

As the end of the year closes in, vendors find themselves trailing far behind the previous year in the number of devices cleared by the FDA for marketing in the U.S.

In a word, RSNA.

In the wake of the RSNA meeting, DI SCAN takes a closer look at the news underlying the announcements along with other noteworthy items.Siemens unveils interventional robotHitachi hopes to jumpstart demand for open MRiCAD sets course to build CAD salesCommentary: Implementing technology in stages

CT marked RSNA 2007 as the most exciting gathering for radiologists in recent history. But there was plenty happening outside of CT, too.

The deepening crisis, then sudden resolution of a medical isotope shortage brought drama, as a cryptic message from Agfa’s board of directors added mystery to the holiday season.Canadian reactor ramps up to renew supply of technetiumPhilips prepares to move into digital mammography“Care areas” characterize GE approach to ultrasound Siemens introduces new premium-class ultrasound scannerCommentary: Trouble-prone Chalk River haunts medical community: When will we learn?

After a year of hearings and deliberations, the National Academies of Science has recommended that the U.S. government recommit financially to the advancement of nuclear medicine science.

Researchers have found that a 360 degrees virtual dissection CT colonography postprocessing technique equals the diagnostic accuracy of 2D axial imaging for colon cancer screening.

A 10-year study of imaging volume demands on a PACS at the Medical University of South Carolina shows how significant a factor multislice CT has become in image data storage.

The SNM is ratcheting up political pressure on Congress to restore $20 million in Department of Energy research funding that it considers crucial to the survival of nuclear medicine.

The first drop in recent memory in demand for nuclear medicine served as the backdrop for pending advances.Features: Nuc med volume falls in 2006, show partial rebound this year Spectrum Dynamics prepares new gamma camera for market Calibration tool ensures proper radionuclide dose MR scores advance in body imaging Q&A: Consultant, manager-or both?

Next month Spectrum Dynamics will begin shipping its long-awaited D-SPECT Cardiac imaging product, featuring solid-state cadmium-zinc-telluride detectors and proprietary image reconstruction techniques that cut the time typically needed to do a SPECT heart scan by 75% or more. The Danville, CA-based company will target high-volume private cardiac labs and hospitals that put a premium on throughput and image quality.

Take heed nuc med labs. The British have come up with a smashing idea: an instrument that allows medical physicists to make sure the instruments they use to check the doses of radioactive compounds are themselves accurate.

Digesting the mediocre performance by Philips Medical in the third quarter, financial analysts peppered Pierre-Jean Sivignon, chief financial officer of Koninklijke Philips Electronics, with questions about the company’s plans for the upcoming RSNA. They were looking for reasons to believe the CFO’s assertions that Philips’ financials would soon improve.

The Deficit Reduction Act has undercut reimbursements for outpatient centers, ripening the market for consolidation -- and RadNet has been harvesting. The company last week acquired Liberty Pacific MRI of Encino for $2.8 million, the fourth California imaging center RadNet has bought in little more than a month.

The worst effects from the Deficit Reduction Act may be over, according to GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt. But Pierre-Jean Sivignon, chief financial officer of Koninklijke Philips Electronics, has some reservations.

Patients with mesothelioma, a disease of the lung lining caused by exposure to asbestos, may someday benefit from a new 3D PET measure that helps accurately and quickly measure response to chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

It was a tumultuous week, marked by displaced products and industry execs. Features: The MR market shows signs of a rebound; DI SCAN explains why CT is struggling. Nuance acquired Commissure and spread its corporate focus from transcription to decision making. MicroMaxx dropped a peg in the SonoSite portfolio as M-Turbo was added to the mix, signaling a renewed emphasis by the company on point-of-care ultrasound. Ultrasound shapes and contours its way into “aesthetic medicine.”

Rule changes slated for adoption by Medicare could be a factor when choosing the type of CT scanner to buy. The changes are part of an effort to diagnose patients earlier.

CT vendors came off the best sales year in their history in 2006, generating $1.75 billion in U.S. sales from new equipment. But they have little to be happy about now.

Cleveland Clinic hails dual-source CT, image fusionFDA clears Hitachi 1.2T open MR scannerRenal test enters radiology point of careFlat panel boosts dental scan timesBiopharm company adds manufacturing plantCanadian health system selects IDCGM-I places preclinical PETsBrit Systems taps sales VP

E-Z-EM revels in ACRIN resultsAquarius to strut at RSNA 2007Fonar revenues rise, losses fallMerge rallies usersVarian recruits Stanford oncologist

The sudden and precipitous drop in demand for CT scanners during 2007 has translated into lower prices across the board, slamming corporate bottom lines but producing some unexpected positive results.

Questions remain from practitioners, payers, and administrators regarding the economic impact of coronary CT angiography on established diagnostic modalities and the effects on reimbursement within imaging. To address these concerns, we have developed the CCTA Data Registry, which now consists of more than 20,000 cases. Preliminary results indicate that coronary CTA is being utilized appropriately and affects savings for the healthcare system.

This year, the first sites in the world will begin using Philips Medical Systems' newly minted BrightView family of gamma cameras. The compact dual-head product shines at the high end of the company's nuclear medicine portfolio in performance and versatility. But it need not be the most powerful gamma camera in the hospital or clinic.

A blue ribbon panel convened by the National Academies of Science recommends after a year of hearings and deliberations that the U.S. government recommit itself to the advancement of nuclear medicine science.

X-ray tubes that encircle the patient could make mechanical CT systems obsolete in several years, if the hopes of executives at Xintek and Siemens Medical Solutions are realized.