RSNA 2012 Slideshow: On the Exhibit Floor

Siemens’ MAMMOMAT Inspiration Prime Edition mammography system aims to decrease radiation dose by up to 30 percent by replacing the use of a scatter radiation grid - which, by virtue of radiation absorption, increases patient dose - with a progressive image reconstruction algorithm. The system is pending 510(k) clearance.

Siemens touted the ACUSON Freestyle ultrasound system as the first wireless transducer ultrasound system, which aims to streamline the ultrasound process. It also increases the level of sterilization within the ultrasound laboratory, since the wireless transducer is designed to be fully immersible in liquid for disinfection purposes, the company said.

Philips' MicroDose Mammography Single-Shot Spectral Imaging (SI) uses X-ray photon-counting technology that reduces dosage by up to 50 percent, achieves 50 micrometer resolution and boasts a collimator design that rejects 97 percent of scatter with 100-percent pixel warranty, according to the company. It also allows for Spectral Breast Density Measurement. This product is not commercially available in the U.S.

Philips highlighted its iMR, or Iterative Model Reconstruction, which seeks to achieve low-contrast CT images that are nearly free of noise. The technology is pictured here as part of Philips' Ingenuity Flex32 CT Scanner during RSNA 2012.

Shimadzu’s MobileDaRt Evolution features three-second image verification, an output of up to 32 kW, keyless verification, wireless networking, bedside drive controls and improved mobility.
 

GE's Silent Scan technology (demonstrated here via a live broadcast of a scan) uses a new 3-D acquisition and reconstruction technique called Silenz to eliminate acoustic noise generated by MR scans. The system is pending 501(k) approval.

GE's Universal Viewer allows users to work on oncology and mammography imaging within a single workspace that features a user interface that can adapt to radiologist preferences, embedded clinical applications, and remote image access for referring physicians. This application was one of several major workflow solutions being highlighted at RSNA this year.

Toshiba's Aquilion RXL allows for lose-dose CT scanning with a high-resolution detector, accelerated workflow and automated processing, including ultrafast data transfer, clinical application software packages and automated bone-removal algorithms, according to the company.

Merge's closed loop imaging solution aims to improve the patient experience through features such as consumer option information (to give them increased control over provider choices), mobile payments and HIPAA-friendly cloud access to their medical images. It also allows health care providers to view business-end analytics (such as referral rates, scheduling date preferences and profit/loss information), access patient images via cloud technology and share data with other clinicians who use the Merge system.

Hitachi's SCENARIA CT system looks to promote patient comfort with a 750 mm aperture and to increase patient safety by reducing dosage through the use of a 0.35-second rotation speed, lateral table movement, a bow-tie filter, automatic exposure control and interactive processing, according to the company.

The Carestream DRX-Revolution Mobile X-ray System features an automatic collapsible column, storage bins, badge-swipe log-in, a wireless DRX digital detector, an in-cart detector battery charger, 2 touch-screen displays, prior-image review, a tube-and-grid alignment system, easy maneuverability and a maximum power output of 32 kW.

M*Modal's Speech Understanding technology uses a combination of speech recognition and natural language understanding to comprehend meaning and syntax and process speech into structured and encoded documents. It also boasts a cloud-based platform, continuous learning, information-driven workflows and unstructured data analytics, according to the company.