Years ago, tomosynthesis was cited as one reason radiology needed digital mammography. A digital detector could be arced around the breast to capture multiple views from different angles, stripping away tissue that obscures cancers. But despite the commercial introduction of digital mammography five years ago, the use of tomosynthesis remains limited to a few isolated medical centers.

Most musculoskeletal radiologists prefer to use MRI in their daily practice even though they recognize the value of ultrasound to evaluate and diagnose many MSK conditions, according to results of a survey presented at the 2004 RSNA meeting.

A tube current modulation technique used for virtual colonoscopy reduces radiation exposure by one-third, and effective dose levels for the exam have remained constant despite the increased use of multislice technology, according to two studies presented at the 2004 RSNA meeting.

Capital Health in Edmonton, AB, has decided to offload some of the risk that can come with purchasing a PACS. The institution entered into a risk-sharing agreement designed to guarantee film savings with its recent purchase of a RIS, PACS, and speech recognition package.

The American College of Radiology Imaging Network has begun enrollment nationwide for its national CT colonography trial. The study should resolve ongoing debate over the efficacy of virtual colonoscopy for cancer screening.

Siemens and CTI Molecular Imaging have been collaborators for 18 years, sharing in a joint venture that supplied Siemens with PET scanners, andworking together since last spring on the sale of PET and PET/CT systems. Soon the partnership will end in a merger of the two, if Siemens’ billion-dollar bid for its partner company goes through.

The growing popularity of 3T scanners is raising concerns in the U.K. about the safety of patients with medical implants. The worries center on the increased power of this new breed of MR, which imposes a substantially higher specific absorption rate (SAR) than its predecessors.

Orex joins KodakThe acquisition of computed radiography manufacturer Orex is complete. Eastman Kodak paid $51.3 million in cash for the maker of specialty CR systems. The final price may yet be adjusted, depending on a final audit. With the deal now final, Orex becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak, joining Kodak’s Health Group, though it will continue to operate out of Yokneam, Israel. The company’s small-format CR products address market niches involving orthopedics, imaging centers, and dentistry. Orex CRs, as well as some from Kodak, are also used by industrial nondestructive testing groups, such as pipeline companies, foundries, and aerospace manufacturers.

Discordant radiologists and cardiologists sitting before Congress this week came to terms on at least one point. They agreed the government should set standards allowing only qualified physicians to perform imaging studies, even though they disagreed on who should provide those services.

Hitachi is hoping for a comeback in the world’s premier market for CT. The company, which for many years supplied CT scanners under the Philips Medical System label, has launched its own brand, the quadslice CXR4. It is the first in what will become a family of products with varying capabilities, extending ultimately to the highest levels of performance.

The majority of patients who undergo CT colonography, either with or without contrast, will produce studies that have at least one extracolonic anomaly. Most will not require further workup, however.

Although fundamental research in biomedical imaging remains a relatively obscure field, some observers at the European Congress of Radiology believe the future of radiology depends largely on developments in this area.

Successful pregnancies following uterine fibroid embolization are debunking the theory that the procedure should not be recommended for women who want to conceive despite having heavy fibroid volume. Among a cohort of more than 1200 embolization patients at an English hospital, 43 of 98 women who tried to conceive have been able to do so.

The majority of patients who undergo CT colonography, either with or without contrast, will produce studies that have at least one extracolonic anomaly. Most will not require further workup, however.

Vendors got off to a better than usual start with the FDA this year, clearing 28 devices through the 510(k) process. This was the second highest number of devices cleared by the agency during January in six years. The month was overshadowed only by January 2003, when the industry earned 29 clearances.

Mercury Computer Systems has emerged from the shadows of medical imaging with a portfolio of advanced processing products and services. The company, which previously served mostly as a supplier of 2D imaging components to major OEMs, has begun shopping 3D and 4D products around the imaging industry. These products vary from software only to software-hardware combinations and are designed to perform critical functions in diagnostic and interventional products, as well as PACS.

The promise of personalized medicine, with treatments defined and adjusted to fit individual patients, is drawing GE Biosciences into the future. This vision is nothing new for the group’s leaders. For years, they have talked about customizing radiopharmaceuticals, as well as x-ray and MR contrast agents, to unmask the molecular signs of dementia, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders.

Europe has traditionally lagged behind the U.S. in its interest in open MR technology. Now the launch into the European market of two MR systems, each claiming performance comparable to 1.5T but friendlier to patients, may at last buck that trend.

Hewlett-Packard, which has supported major PACS companies with its server and storage technology, has introduced its first imaging archive: the HP Medical Archiving Solution (MAS).