Imaging sales sag in Europe, but vendors expect an upturn
November 3rd 1993Sales 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
California start-up firm targets mammography CAD
October 20th 1993Computer-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 prepares for PACS prime time
October 20th 1993Loral 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
Spiral CT begins take off as technology matures
October 20th 1993Although 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
IBM and PACS partner Genesys clash over Florida installation
October 20th 1993Cracks 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
Magnevist wins approval for whole-body usage
October 20th 1993The 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
Lunar enters niche MRI with Esaote agreement
October 6th 1993Any 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 implements streamlined structure in U.S.
September 16th 1993Siemens 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
Alliance restructures to upgrade aging MRI fleet
September 16th 1993Mobile 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 moves first in direct-sensor CR
September 16th 1993Philips 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
Radiologist start-up offers low-cost PACS solution
September 16th 1993If 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
Extending capital proves service key
September 8th 1993Health-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
Ultrasound vendors tussle over DEFF data standard
September 8th 1993A 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 split builds pressure on ultrasound
August 25th 1993Diasonics 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 wins Kaiser contract; HMO weighs PACS bids
August 25th 1993GE 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
Imaging slowdown ends Reality's 3-D effort
August 25th 1993Radiologist 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
Restructuring deals Fischer Imaging a loss
August 25th 1993Fischer 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