Philips pursues digital x-ray technologies

Philips Medical Systems (Hall B, #7515) will show the latest developments under way at the Dutch company for digitizing x-ray exams using both computed radiography and flat-panel digitization techniques. CR readers developed by Fuji will be shown, as will enhancements to Thoravision, Philips' own selenium-based technology for digital chest studies. Thoravision II includes a new generator and a new ceiling suspension system.

Philips will also discuss recent work-in-progress advances in the development of flat-panel digital detectors through Trixell, a joint venture company it formed earlier this year with Siemens and Thomson Tubes Electroniques.

The company will introduce Integris V5000, a new vascular x-ray system. The product is based on Philips' Integris V3000, but uses a CCD camera integrated into the imaging chain to digitize vascular exams. Shipments should begin in April or May, according to Daniel Moore, marketing manager for the product.

In CT, Philips will add a new offering to its Tomoscan AV line, according to Chris Farr, group marketing director for MRI and CT. Tomoscan AV Performance Solid State is a version of Tomoscan AV Performance that uses solid-state detectors rather than xenon detectors. The system has a 1-second scan time and subsecond reconstruction time, and will occupy a price niche between Tomoscan AV Performance and the top-of-the line Tomoscan AV Expander.

A new CT feature to be shown as a work-in-progress is BiopsyView, a CT fluoroscopy option for AV Expander. The upgrade will be offered in two versions, one providing image reconstruction at 3 fps and another at 6 fps. One unique aspect of BiopsyView is that it operates in a full 512-pixel matrix, with each image made up of a full 360 scan, Farr said.

Both CT and MRI practitioners will use advancements to be highlighted for Philips' EasyVision image processing workstation. The company is releasing a new version of EasyVision based on a client-server architecture, making it easier for hospitals to set up EasyVision networks. Multiple EasyVision workstations can run off a single database, Farr said. Philips will also show new image processing protocols, such as virtual endoscopy volume rendering in almost real-time with both CT and MRI data sets.

In MRI, Philips will demonstrate new additions to its 1.5-tesla Gyroscan NT Mobile scanner. New PowerTrak 3000 gradients bring the system's gradient performance to 23 mtelsa/m. Philips is also introducing spectroscopy for the mobile scanner; the mobile line has the same performance capabilities as the company's fixed-site MRI scanners.

Other new MRI technologies include MobiTrak, a technology for peripheral MR angiography that uses a sequence in which the patient table moves continuously, enabling clinicians to conduct a full peripheral angio study in five minutes. It will be offered as an upgrade package.