Shimadzu Medical Systems is beefing up its 1-tesla MRI lineupwith two new scanners to be unveiled at the Radiological Societyof North America meeting this month. The new systems spearheada renaming of the Japanese vendor's MRI product line, accordingto
Toshiba America Medical Systems is planning a full-court pressat this month's Radiological Society of North America meeting.In an effort to secure a greater U.S. market share, the Japanesevendor is introducing a range of new products, many of which
The development of picture archiving and communications systemsfor ultrasound has been marked by a conflict between competingdigital imaging standards. While many vendors are lining up behindACR-NEMA's digital imaging and communications in medicine
Sales of medical imaging systems in Europe will finish the yeareither flat or down slightly from 1992 on account of general economicsluggishness and the desire of government authorities to restraingrowing health-care budgets. Signs are, however, that the
Genesys has reached an out-of-court settlement in its lawsuitagainst IBM relating to work on a picture archiving and communicationssystem installation at a Florida hospital. Genesys had chargedIBM with breach of contract and attempted theft of trade
Computer-aided diagnosis of mammography exams was moved one stepcloser to commercial reality with the signing last month of alicensing agreement between the University of Chicago and R2 Technology.The California start-up company is raising financial
Loral Aerospace is one of the heaviest hitters in the picturearchiving and communications market, but the company has yet tostep up to the plate and demonstrate its ability at a major radiologymeeting. That's about to change. Loral plans to show its
Although somewhat slow out of the starting gate, spiral CT haspicked up speed commercially this year. The technology was a hottopic at the European Congress of Radiology conference in Viennalast month and is sure to be featured prominently at the
Cracks are appearing in the relationship between picture archivingand communications systems partners IBM and Genesys. IBM lastmonth fired the Orlando, FL, company from an IBM PACS job at aFlorida hospital. Genesys this month countered with a
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of MRI contrastagent Magnevist for whole-body applications, making the productthe first agent to be cleared for use outside the central nervoussystem. The FDA's action will improve Magnevist's
GE Medical Systems will consolidate its worldwide nuclear medicinebusiness near Milwaukee headquarters by the middle of next yearas a further step in its streamlining of global operations andexpenses. GE has initiated a transfer of nuclear
Any vendor--particularly a small one--hoping to break into theMRI market during these depressed times needs to find a more cost-effectiveMR mousetrap and a secure niche in which to sell it. Bone densitometrysupplier Lunar will use a North American MRI
Siemens will carry out a radical restructuring of its U.S. operationsnext month. Structural changes will coincide with the hiring ofa new president for Siemens Medical Systems in Iselin, NJ, accordingto Werner Maly, group president of the worldwide
Mobile imaging services provider Alliance Imaging last week announceda restructuring plan to modernize its fleet of MRI scanners. TheOrange, CA, company plans to put 21 magnets out to pasture andreplace many with new 1-tesla scanners, according to
Philips Medical Systems took a pioneering step last week withthe introduction of a direct-sensor computed radiography system.The selenium-based ThoraVision digital chest system is the firstnon-phosphor CR system offered by a major multimodality
If you build a better image management system, will the worldbeat a path to your door? That question is facing two radiologistswho have set out on their own to market a low-cost picture archivingand communications system. Dominator Radiology Systems
Health-care angst and stalled purchasing don't make the best conditionsfor starting a medical imaging business. Depending on your focus,however, times could be worse. As hospitals keep their imagingsystems running longer, they need help in the areas of
A chair that promises to transform old planar systems into cardiacSPECT systems was cleared last month by the Food and Drug Administrationfor commercial sale in the U.S. The device, which is being soldin the U.S. by MEDX, Inc. of Wood Dale, IL, is
A tug-of-war is brewing between ultrasound vendors Acuson andATL over computer file formats used to store data in ultrasoundimage management systems. At issue is a new ultrasound file formatstandard that could present a challenge to ACR-NEMA's
Diasonics Ultrasound will have about a year to start earning cashbefore it is otherwise required to seek additional financing insupport of its efforts to regain a leadership position in theultrasound market. Diasonics shareholders will meet on Sept. 17to
GE Medical Systems has won a five-year preferred-vendor contractto supply MRI and x-ray equipment to HMO giant Kaiser FoundationHospitals. GE bested competitor Philips Medical Systems in winningthe contract. Philips had been Kaiser's preferred vendor for
Radiologist resistance to three-dimensional image processing plaguesthe medical 3-D industry segment. That's not new. However, weakclinical demand for 3-D products combined with a general downturnin hospital purchasing of high-end imaging equipment has
Fischer Imaging is restructuring operations to cut costs and realignits product lines and servicing, according to president and COORoberto A. Cascella. The restructuring has taken its toll on theDenver-based vendor's bottom line. A $1.3 million
In the international market for medical imaging equipment, Chinais a sleeping giant. The country possesses an enormous populationand a pronounced need for sophisticated medical devices, but importrestrictions and a shortage of hard currency have
ADAC Laboratories reported last month that sales of its new GenesysVertex variable-angle dual-detector camera are boosting the company'sfinancial results. Vertex spearheaded strong growth in ADAC'sthird-quarter revenues, leading the company to claim that
Is there life for MRI after health-care reform? A recent studyof MRI diffusion in Japan suggests that the answer is yes--butat a price. MRI has frequently played the role of villain in the ongoingdrama of rising health-care costs in the U.S. The
GE Medical Systems further segmented its MRI product line thisspring with overseas introduction of the 1-tesla Signa Advantage1T system. The unit offers most 1.5-tesla Signa features but ata reduced price. GE's product strategy acknowledges growing
U.S. ultrasound system sales remain becalmed in the doldrums causedby recession and health-care reform. This slow growth contrastsstarkly with the boom years of the ultrasound market in the late'80s. Despite the current scanner sales slump, however,
Shimadzu will start hiring MRI sales representatives this monthas the Japanese medical imaging vendor drives to expand its positionin the U.S. market. Shimadzu Medical Systems of Gardena, CA, tookresponsibility for MRI away from CT and x-ray products
Impending national health-care reform has led to a dramatic slowdownin the U.S. modular imaging facility market. With no recoveryexpected for 18 to 24 months, transportable facility vendor Enertechis looking abroad to make up for lost domestic business,
