Mammography

Computed radiography arrived at the RSNA meeting Sunday ready for sale into the U.S. market as a mammography application. At the head of the pack was Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, the only vendor with FDA approval to sell CR for mammography. It received the agency green light in July.

New analyses of data from the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial show that digital mammography is superior only for pre- and perimenopausal women with dense breasts. Screen-film mammography may actually have an edge in older women with fatty breasts, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Sunday.

There are two ways into the U.S. market for computed radiography for mammography. One path, successfully traversed by FujiFilm Medical Systems USA and now being trod by Kodak, is the FDA's premarket approval (PMA) process. But Konica Minolta is taking the road less traveled.

iCAD readies RSNA exhibitsUltraRad offers free offsite archivingSiemens snags $40M dealGE expands alliance with Intermountain

Kodak will showcase its computed radiography platform for mammography at the RSNA meeting, but it will have to do so as a work-in-progress, at least for customers in the U.S.

Kodak submits CR mammography data to FDAContextVision installs low-dose CT featureSectra launches next-generation management toolFonar revenues fallInSite annual revenues grow 56%Digital x-ray digs in

The imaging industry tallied another 34 FDA clearances in September, pushing the running count for the year to 261. Image management led all categories with 14 devices, followed by x-ray with 10, radiotherapy with four, ultrasound and CT each with two, and nuclear medicine with one. A surgical microscope accessory that is used to view intraoperative cerebral blood flow fits none of the traditional categories.

Cedara readies oncology toolsNEMA, ACR plan ethics program at RSNA meetingEmageon prepares RSNA launchesU-Systems taps service providerVolcano turns profitAmicas revenues slipKodak attracts Magnet deal

Elderly patients can undergo CT scanning of the pancreatobiliary region with only 90% or less of the contrast dose required in other patients without compromising the exam's quality.

I routinely read and enjoy the column by Dr. Bradley Tipler. But I was shocked and disappointed by the article in the June 2006 edition, ("Command of a tight ship stays out of reach," page 64). I work on the other side of the table.

For years, the world of breast imaging was quite simple. Screen-film mammography and ultrasound did not leap ahead, but they did a satisfactory job for most women. In the past few years, the armamentarium has exploded, with the introduction of modalities from MRI to vacuum biopsy. The management of breast disease has changed significantly.

The validity of population-based breast screening has once again been called into question by the world’s media. The negative headlines have, ironically, been triggered by a report that finds mammography screening saves lives. But it is the concurrent likelihood of overdiagnosis that has captured journalists’ attention.

Philips introduces ultrasound upgradesDynamic Imaging readies digital mammography

Six years ago, Hologic looked like a company on the brink. Once the darling of the radiology industry with booming sales of bone densitometers, Hologic had sought to diversify, but its acquisitions were dragging the company down rather than lifting it up.

Buoyed by corporate acquisitions, Hologic will appear at the RSNA meeting with a 13,000-square-foot booth filled with works-in-progress for its mammography, CAD, and densitometry offerings, and enhanced by a first-time RSNA showing of an MRI system from Esaote and the Chicago debut of its newly acquired biopsy portfolio.

Sectra sets RSNA agendaMerge plans RSNA releasesHologic boosts European presenceX-ray parent moves to new digs

Hospitals find that true integration, not just interfacing, optimizes productivity with digital imaging systems

TeraRecon plans RSNA platform launchKodak unveils mammography CADRadlink adds distributorBreast OCT firm expands distributionIntermagnetics, Philips near deal closurePhilips scales the Rockies

New audit data that will allow benchmarking in screening mammography for U.S. practices are set to be published in the October 2006 issue of Radiology.

Siemens Medical Solutions will launch its newly acquired MammoTest breast biopsy table at the RSNA meeting. The rights to the system were acquired by Siemens this summer from now-defunct Fischer Imaging in a deal brokered by the Federal Trade Commission. By late November, the company expects that its managers in every country will be versed in the prone stereotactic biopsy unit and ready to begin selling it globally, said Erica Rouleau, national sales director for women’s health at Siemens.

Computer-aided detection pioneer iCAD has upgraded its mammography CAD technology. The new product, Version 7.2, is now shipping with the company’s workstations SecondLook 300 and 700.

FujiFilm Medical Systems USA has forged a key distribution agreement with iCAD to serve as a supplier of computer-aided detection products for Fuji’s CR mammography. As important as this deal is to Fuji, it may be even more important for iCAD.

An FDA advisory panel last week voted unanimously against approving an electrical impedance device designed as an adjunct to mammography.

Practitioners consider Europe in the quest for better quality

Canada dives into Kodak XR Totoku bundles Matrox controller board IBA sells cyclotron in TurkeyFirm enters breast biopsy market

More mammography facilities closed in the U.S. than opened for business between 2001 and 2004, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office released Aug. 16. The report concludes that current supply is sufficient to meet the demand, but the GAO’s reason is an indictment of U.S. healthcare.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has published two new standards for manufacturers of hard-copy and soft-copy reading devices for full-field digital mammography. The FDA-sanctioned documents should help breast imaging facilities meet their obligations under the Mammography Quality Standards Act.