Results of a state quality-assurance inspection of mammographyfacilities in Michigan have left some manufacturers indignantand others exultant. But the findings have led to an increasein the number of mammography units in the state that now passnational

Upgrades to the Toshiba 0.064-tesla Access MRI system have improvedimage quality to the point where the system can compete head-to-headwith high-field scanners, according to Dr. Peter Rothschild, radiologistand director of Open MRI, a Hayward, CA,

Interspec reported this month that its radiology ultrasound R&Dand marketing agreement with Siemens is off. The Ambler, PA, cardiacultrasound supplier had been working with the large German multimodalityimaging vendor to develop a radiology

OEM software sales are a growing business for Cemax. The firmillustrated this fact in January by hiring a former Toshiba CTproduct manager as vice president of sales and marketing. Oran E. Muduroglu filled a slot that had been handled by presidentTerry

Philips Medical Systems North America took steps last month tocut costs and reduce redundant positions at its Philips Ultrasoundunit. The Dutch medical imaging vendor is careful to picture thesecuts as tactical and not as a reflection of reduced focus on

Fischer Imaging filed suit against competitor Lorad last weekalleging that the latter's StereoGuide stereotactic breast biopsysystem violates a patent covering features of its Mammotest stereotacticbiopsy system. Lorad received Food and Drug

An industry of protest has grown up around the five-year-old GEboycott over the company's involvement in nuclear weapons production.Infact, the Boston-based support group for the boycott, receivednationwide publicity last month when its film on GE,

Mobile MRI is a fast-maturing market. More systems are on theroad today than ever, and they are chasing smaller hospital accounts.Since many MRI units were purchased in the heyday of mobile industrygrowth during the late 1980s, they are beginning to

A high-tech arms race is escalating in the scanner service industry--tothe benefit of equipment users. Mediq Engineering and MaintenanceServices launched a remote scanner diagnostics product last monththat competes head-on with GE's InSite remote

American Health Services took advantage of low interest ratesto restructure its equipment financing relationship with GE MedicalSystems this month. The imaging services firms converted 16 GEMRI units from operating leases to owned systems.GE provided AHS

Philips Medical Systems liked what it saw when it began cooperatingwith Hewlett-Packard in the cardiac catheterization field lastyear. The two firms agreed to integrate HP patient monitoringequipment with Philips' cardiac cath imaging line in November.A

Diasonics managed to increase income from continuing operations15% in fiscal 1991 (end-December) despite ultrasound price competitionand softening imaging demand in Europe, according to Rod Young,president and CEO.Income for the year was $18.9 million,

Radiologists may lose their image if they depend on a picturearchiving and communication system (PACS) without adequate patientdatabase controls, according to Dr. Richard Turkanis, presidentand CEO of Radiology Management Systems (Radman). Radman, a

Philips Ultrasound should have its ultrasound blood-quantificationproduct, CVI-Q, on the market by the third quarter of this year.While there is general expectation that CVI-Q will provide newand valuable diagnostic information, a successful launch

Picker International's acquisition last week of Dynamic DigitalDisplay will provide the major medical imaging vendor a leg upin the fast-emerging field of volumetric CT imaging. DDD, previously an independent supplier of medical

Toshiba's medical imaging effort in the U.S. has made considerablestrides over the past several years. But the major multimodalityimaging vendor has been plagued with personnel problems in itsU.S. operations that constitute a Japanese manager's

Remote scanner diagnostics allow GE to offer its imaging customersservices beyond maintenance troubleshooting. Implementation ofits InSite remote diagnostics program has also improved user educationand training, said John R. Haddock, vice president and

ADAC Laboratories claimed at the RSNA meeting last month to havegrown from the third-largest supplier of SPECT cameras in theU.S. to first place in 1991. According to ADAC's analysis of theU.S. SPECT market, the top camera suppliers after itself are

Gendex of Des Plaines, IL, completed its acquisition of the Philipsdental x-ray business in Europe last month, but broke off negotiationsto acquire Transworld X-ray of Charlotte, NC. The dental and medicalx-ray supplier had been interested in Transworld

IBM brought together two strange bedfellows at the RadiologicalSociety of North America conference last month. Most of IBM'sexhibit was devoted to picture archiving and communication systemproducts under development by the GE/IBM Integrated