Ultrasound

China’s increasing demand for modern healthcare innovations has given a welcome boost to the makers of medical imaging equipment. With no sign of a slowdown in growth, it is little wonder that Siemens Medical Solutions is ramping up its investment in this market.

Much has happened in the year since the FDA approved the first MR-guided ultrasound device for the treatment of uterine fibroids. The pioneers of this new product area, InSightec and its imaging partner GE Healthcare, have launched initiatives to find other clinical applications. One is a pivotal trial of ExAblate 2000 for the treatment of breast fibroadenomas. Another combines two feasibility studies of the safety and efficacy of the device for ablating breast cancers and eliminating brain tumors through an intact skull.

Usually, the beginnings of great change are recognized only in hindsight. The exception to that rule may have happened Aug. 24. This was the day the developers of Cell Broadband Engine Architecture -- known informally as Cell -- flung wide the doors to the technical underpinnings of this new computing chip.

Usually, the beginnings of great change are recognized only in hindsight. The exception to that rule may have happened Aug. 24. This was the day the developers of Cell Broadband Engine Architecture -- known informally as Cell -- flung wide the doors to the technical underpinnings of this new computing chip.

Researchers in Iowa have received a $350,000 grant to assess the application of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for the treatment of brain tumors, according to a press release by Iowa State University.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has updated its policy on fetal ultrasound studies performed without medical indications. Though the revised statement still targets keepsake imaging entrepreneurs, the new language looks at potential ethical violations by accredited ultrasound practitioners as well, according to AIUM officials.

Controversial new data questioning prostate-specific antigen screening could lead to a surge in 3D ultrasound imaging until more accurate serum markers appear. Three-D has shown prominent gains in diagnosis, staging, and management of prostate cancer, according to recent studies.

Stentor merges with PhilipsOne month after Philips Medical Systems announced its intention to buy Stentor, the Dutch company has completed the acquisition. The merger will strengthen Philips’ position as a primary supplier of healthcare IT. Philips previously had depended on Swedish IT specialist Sectra for its PACS and workstation products (DI SCAN 7/18/05). In announcing the acquisition, Philips claimed record quarterly revenue for Stentor over the past three months, highlighting 14 new customer contracts, including a seven-year contract renewal from Henry Ford Health System.

Efforts by the imaging industry to clear radiological devices have slipped into a narrow corridor of moderate success, as companies in June scored just 23 FDA clearances, two more than the previous month and one more than April. The pace of clearances now has drifted far below the level that led to last year’s record number of cleared products, which saw April 2004 with 36, May with 26, and June with 38.

While both multislice CT and endoscopic ultrasound can evaluate the local extension of esophageal tumors, CT can also image distant metastases in the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver with a single exam, providing superior staging of T3 and T4 cancers, according to a study from Austria presented at the 2005 European Congress of Radiology. CT is not without weaknesses, however.

Manufacturers and industry report a decline in the ultrasound market last year in the U.S. The market was down in 2004 about 7% to $950 million in equipment shipments, according to consolidated industry estimates. This decline came on the heels of a record year in 2003, during which vendors shipped equipment valued at just over $1 billion to U.S. customers. Backlogs for new units and upgrades from 2004 outdistanced sales by about 4%, indicating strength going into 2005.

An estimated 11.5 million echocardiography procedures were performed in 2004 at more than 3000 sites in the U.S., a 5% increase over 2002, according to a study conducted by IMV Medical Information Division.

Toshiba launches MR techniqueMR angiography can be accomplished without the injection of contrast media, using a technique now available from Toshiba America Medical Systems. Contrast Improved Angiography (CIA) visualizes smaller vessels with greater contrast and better separation of arterial and venous blood flows, according to the company. CIA is built on a fresh blood imaging technology that Toshiba developed seven years ago. The new technique runs on Toshiba’s Excelart Vantage system.

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists in June celebrated its 250,000th certification. The ARRT might reach the half-million mark sooner than expected as it gears up to allow MRI techs and sonographers to be certified without first becoming radiologic technologists.

Mobile phones outfitted with microcameras could relay more than pics and flicks. These portable devices could also broadcast ultrasound images, according to a poster presented at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting in June.

Although ultrasound contrast agents are not yet FDA-approved for use beyond the heart, they are already helping inspire careers in academic radiology.

Medical students may not need to wait for a residency or fellowship to gain experience with ultrasound. They could become familiar with the modality long before graduation, according to a study presented at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting in June.

Ultrasound can accurately predict elevated intracranial pressure, according to a study presented at the 2005 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting.

Siemens Medical Solutions ultrasound division has acquired Sensant, a developer of silicon-based ultrasound transducer technology, for an undisclosed price.

One of the pioneers of digital mammography, Fischer Imaging, is exiting the market. The company has signed a definitive agreement to sell Hologic the intellectual property and customer lists of its mammography business and products. The cash purchase price of $32 million includes the rights to Fisher’s SenoScan digital mammography and MammoTest stereotactic breast biopsy systems.

Clinicians working with an integrated system tend to be heavy users of medical images, accessing images as well as the report in four out of five cases, according to a report presented Friday.

A significant number of breast cancers missed by mammography in the last decade may have been misclassified as benign lesions by ultrasound in the first place, according to a study presented at the 2005 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting.

Three-dimensional Doppler ultrasound can provide a quick, reliable diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis with just one sweep in real-time, according to a study presented Monday at the 2005 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting.

Three-dimensional diagnostic ultrasound could be used for physiologic biometrics and positive individual identification, according to a study presented Monday at the AIUM meeting.

Three-D ultrasound could offer a minimally invasive alternative to hysterosalpingography and endoscopy of the fallopian tubes in apparently infertile patients, according to a study presented Monday at the 2005 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting in Orlando.

War-torn countries can improve their diagnostic imaging capabilities by simply dialing the phone.

Philips releases low-cost ultrasound systemUltrasound users have a new mobile ultrasound system to consider. The HD3 is the smallest, most mobile, and easiest-to-use ultrasound system to join its portfolio, according to Philips Medical Systems. The high-definition system, designed for small office practices, hospitals, and clinics, provides gray-scale and color Doppler imaging with one-button image optimization, cineloop review, and tissue harmonic imaging. It features an adjustable flat-panel monitor and analysis packages with measurements for a variety of exams.

Siemens closes in on CTI acquisitionAs of May 4, 94% of the outstanding shares of CTI Molecular Imaging had been acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions as part of that company’s bid to acquire the Knoxville, TN, firm. Siemens expects to complete the acquisition through a merger in which all CTI shares not validly tendered will be converted into the right to receive $20.50 per share. CTI would then become a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions. CTI Molecular Imaging is a supplier of PET products and services with annual revenues above $400 million and annual income near $60 million.

Stroke patients given a thrombolytic agent along with continuous ultrasound monitoring fared better than patients who received thrombolysis alone. Accelerating the dissolution of emboli could potentially increase the duration of the critical three-hour window in which lysis must be performed, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine.