Siemens Medical Solutions has struck an agreement with Biosense Webster to develop technology that will generate 3D images of the heart as a diagnostic and interventional tool for electrophysiologists. The goal is to combine the two companies'

RealTimeImage introduced various PACS and networking tools at the SCAR meeting. Among the new products was iPACS OrthoPlanner, a scalable Web-based orthopedic digital workflow solution that turns a standard network-connected PC into a full-featured,

Philips Medical Systems and GE Healthcare were hawking cardiological capabilities earlier this month with products aimed at supporting electrophysiology applications. The Philips Allura Xper FD 10 catheterization system and EP MedSystems' EP Workmate,

The U.K. is about to get a whole lot of PACS. The central government has agreed to foot the bill to install PACS at 153 hospital trust facilities for acute care over the next three years. All will be paid for by the U.K. government from a national

Toshiba has begun clinical tests on a 64-slice version of its Aquilion CT. An image from this scanner, which is installed at Fujita Health University in Toyoake, Japan, was shown at the Japanese Radiology Congress April 8 to 10 in Yokohama.Exactly when

Medical imaging software developer Vital Images has signed an agreement to integrate its 3D visualization and analysis software with the PACS developed by Swedish firm Sectra. Under the agreement, all current and future Sectra PACS customers who have

Intermagnetics (IGC) wants to become the dominant independent supplier of MR magnets and coils. Its pending $100 million acquisition of MRI Devices is the second step of a master plan hatched to achieve that goal. The first was the $152 million deal to

The torch for open MR may soon be passed to a new generation of technology. Siemens and Philips are preparing to launch commercial versions of their 1T open MR scanners. Philips appears to be targeting the unveiling of its scanner for the latter part of

The way is clear for Toshiba America Medical Systems to begin integrating a flat-panel detector into its Infinix-i series of vascular imaging systems. The detector, which offers an 8-inch-square (20 cm x 20 cm) field-of-view, has passed FDA review for

PACS is gaining momentum, but most of the demand is coming from large institutions. Smaller facilities, pressed for budget and in-house expertise, are at risk of being left behind. One solution is the use of application service providers.ASPs offer the

Current contracts signed by PACS and IT developer Emageon have extended the company's backlog of orders to a figure in excess of $100 million. Emageon attributes much of its success to partnering with large integrated delivery networks (IDNs), including

A common flaw among most commercial PACS workstations is inefficient user-workstation interaction, according to a recent paper (J Digit Imaging. 2004;17(2):92-99). It stresses the importance of capturing feedback from radiologists in early stages of

The recent advances in speech technology and hardware, coupled with proven financial and patient care benefits, have executives at hospitals and healthcare facilities strongly considering incorporating speech recognition into their informatics

Digital technology has not yet been fully exploited in the application of teaching files. A solution from Canada may crack open the possibilities."Most PACS vendors supply an inadequate solution to the teaching file requirement," said Dr. Blair

Events of last August -- when three widespread infestations of computer worms attacked Windows-based systems -- illustrated the vulnerabilities of many medical applications, including PACS.The pressing need for software patches was also revealed. Yet

While digital imaging management through PACS is an accepted technology in radiology, it remains a foreign concept in other areas of medicine, and vendors may have struggles ahead as they try to expand into new fields. Those struggles were outlined

The phone rings in the PACS support center -- an irate user wonders why the workstation is so slow this morning. The PACS administrator has already failed, a SCAR University Productivity and Workflow audience was told Saturday morning.It's a question

Good afternoon, KMart shoppers, don't miss our spring hospital PACS special in the electronics department. Buy two, get one free.It hasn't quite come to that, but anyone interested in purchasing PACS on a shoestring budget would have appreciated Paul

Estrangements between PACS customers and PACS vendors may be awkward, but a number of filmless hospitals are finding it necessary to initiate divorce proceedings against their original PACS suppliers."We're beginning to see PACS divorces in the

The radiology residents were a dowdy and pathetic pair. Richie couldn't jump, a problem that kept him from playing on the radiology department basketball team. Amy had no rhythm and couldn't dance, and thus risked losing her true love, a Latin salsa