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.
Fischer mammo biopsy IP goes to SiemensInSightec adds $15M to coffersStereotaxis revenues fall, orders surge
It costs just 16¢ per patient screened to ensure that women return for recalls after mammography, and the price is well worth paying, according to a study from Michigan.
Medical physicists at Duke University are employing an approach similar to the one used by millions of Internet users daily to obtain computer-driven second opinions on mammograms demonstrating suspicious breast masses. The Google-like approach compares questionable mammograms with selected images ranked to reflect the likely value of their information content.
Dr. Britton Chance is one of the most inventive people in biomedical imaging.
Want faster and more accurate mammography decisions? Someday, you may be able to use a Google-like tool to get them.
