Varian shares plungeBycast cuts deal with Big BlueMazor targets misplaced spinal screwsShands adds 16-slice CT

A newly constituted company drawn from the remnants of a past innovator in digital imaging aims to put a CT-like twist on general radiography. Fischer Medical Technologies plans to update the general radiography platforms that were once the foundation of its predecessor, Fischer Imaging, with novel digital detectors, inexpensive processors, and conebeam rendering software. Its top executive hopes the products it creates will change the way surgeons operate.

The first quarter of this year was the slowest of any in the seven years during which DI SCAN has tracked FDA clearances. The radiology industry was able to clear just 55 devices in the first three months of 2007. Only once since the decade began has the FDA cleared fewer than 60 devices during the first quarter. That was in 2004, when radiological device makers earned 59 clearances.

Thousands of pregnant women are exposed to ionizing radiation every year in the U.S., as either patients or healthcare workers who use equipment as it generates ionizing radiation. Their ignorance about the true implications of radiation exposure during pregnancy is a source of great anxiety and may lead to a decision to abort in some instances, said Dr. Claire Cousins, chair of the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s medical subcommittee.

A new use for PACS has emerged in New York City, where interventional radiologists at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center have begun using the system to catalogue photographic images.

Medical imaging may expose patients to ionizing radiation, but it also empowers physicians to view the human body with ever-increasing clarity and accuracy, according to a 28-page white paper issued April 13 by the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, an association of vendors.

Physicians’ pursuit of the subtlest signs of cancer may be misplaced when it comes to colon cancer. Finding lesions 5 mm or smaller does not significantly reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer, according to study results scheduled for the June 1 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The results, published online April 23, are good news for virtual colonoscopy.

A new study has found that virtual colonoscopy with the removal of lesions 6 mm or greater is more cost-effective and just as clinically effective as optical colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy that targets polyps regardless of size.

RamSoft preps new PACS versionInSight extends share exchange

Radiation doses make fluoroscopy-based image guidance the third largest source of ionized radiation exposure in medical imaging. Dr. Stephen Balter has a plan to help interventional radiologists manage the associated risks more capably.

Merge rolls out new RIS/PACSAmicas acquires practice management software

Radiologists, referring physicians, and the U.S. public all need more education on the benefits and risks of medical imaging devices using ionizing radiation.

Lab test evolves to spot cancer-causing DNAFonar stock rises following reverse splitDeJarnette goes to EuropeFranklin & Seidelmann expands into cardiology

The amount of radiation dose from clinical imaging exams experienced by the U.S. public may have increased more than 600% in the last two decades, most of it due to CT, according to preliminary findings from a study released at the 2007 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements meeting in Arlington, VA.

GE, Philips report sluggish medical salesSiemens records 3T milestone

A blue ribbon panel has recommended sweeping changes for the American College of Radiology’s policies governing the tracking and physician management of radiation exposure.

Varian disappoints investorsCyberKnife meets Somatom Kodak Health Group hooks up with MedLinkEpix complies with stock listing requirements

A radiologist will probably not become the next American idol, but radiology was the fifth most popular specialty among U.S. senior medical students who participated in the 2007 residency match. Its popularity is reflected in the field’s inability to graduate enough residents to meet growing demand. Congress has been unwilling to fund more slots for the profession.

SonoSite enhances MicroMaxx Suros unveils breast biopsy for ultrasoundFonar launches new ad campaign

An algorithm optimized to run on chips developed for video gaming promises a 50-fold acceleration in the postprocessing needed to register 3D data sets from different imaging modalities or exams conducted at different times.