String of missteps caused demiseOnly a year ago, top executives at Marconi Medical were touting their PACS division as the company’s backbone and the key to future development. Today the division is barely functioning,

The first commercial installation of Siemens’ hybrid PET/CT scanner, called biograph, has been completed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. A prototype of the biomolecular imager has been operating at the University of

Latest batch of 510(k)s has something for everyoneFDA clearances surged to 25 during October but fell short of the level reached during the same period last year, when the regulatory agency cleared 30 radiological devices in the

The University of Maryland Medical Center has selected Wam!Net’s data storage service to store and archive its medical images. The hospital averages 600 digital radiology exams per day, resulting in several gigabytes of data. The medical center

Extreme Networks of Santa Clara, CA, will deploy a short-term network to meet the bandwidth needs of RSNA exhibitors. Exhibitors will depend on this backbone to power technology-driven demonstrations, including PACS, imaging, and distance learning on the

Evolving applications focus on workflow and integrationWhen Lernout & Hauspie acquired Dictaphone and Dragon Systems in early 2000, the sky was the limit for the Belgian firm. L&H was going to unify the healthcare industry

Intermagnetics General has completed, tested, and delivered the first in a series of new 1-tesla open MRI magnets. The new, actively shielded magnet is the centerpiece of Philips’ Panorama 1.0T product, which was introduced as work-in-progress at

A new enterprise-wide image management system will be Cerner’s premier attraction at the upcoming RSNA meeting. Dubbed Cerner ProVision, the product is billed as a complete image management solution, delivering reduced costs and improved quality of

Web supports rapid low-cost PACS substituteRealTimeImage is adding two products that expand access to images in distributed environments and bolster short-term archive capability. Scheduled for launch at the upcoming RSNA show, the

By Greg Freiherr, Editor, gfreiherr@cmp.comMany of us share an almost naive belief that truth is an absolute, that there is a right and a wrong and that’s all. In

ASTRO release combines open scanner and oncology simulationWhen it comes to soft-tissue visualization, MRI beats x-ray hands down. Yet most U.S. oncology departments use x-ray fluoroscopy or, increasingly, CT to gather data for

Imaging and IT streamline patient managementSiemens Medical demonstrated two major offerings on Nov. 11 at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. The company showcased its ergonomic cath lab called Axiom Artis FC,

ForeverPriors will be focus on RSNA floorThe ability to use off-the-shelf personal computers, Web-based browsers, and standard phone lines has invigorated wide area image distribution. The trend has prompted every major imaging and

Amorphous selenium detector will follow CRSiemens Medical Solutions is preparing to get into full-field digital mammography—but not like its competitors. Most competitors, including companies whose equipment is at or near

Most PACS and RIS packages come equipped with software tools that let users monitor information and image flow through the system. A number of watchdog systems are on the market, including Agfa's PACSWatch and Siemens' MagicWatch. How these systems are

Some harsh realities accompany PACS into a hospital. One is the chore of managing a digital image library in compliance with legal requirements when current systems may not be up to the task. While most hospitals are required to retain general,

CT has always played a prominent role in the evaluation of musculoskeletal pathology. With the advent of spiral CT and, most recently, multidetector row CT (MDCT), the data sets available for image analysis and for postprocessing and display have unprecedented image resolution and detail. Concurrent with this advance is the development of postprocessing techniques, especially three-dimensional volume rendering.

Some developers of digital x-ray equipment are playing for time outside medical markets, hoping that revenue streams from applications such as nondestructive testing will help underwrite the costs of evolving and manufacturing radiology-quality

Long-time systems integrator DeJarnette Research has developed MediShare IQ Lite, an HL7/DICOM connectivity engine that improves the workflow of PACS, RIS, and HIS products. The software-based product links RIS/HIS and the PACS imaging network. With the

A leading provider of e-health services in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Minnesota, and Idaho, the Community Healthcare Connection Division (CHC) of Pointshare, has been acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services. CHC provides services that