CT

Nuclear medicine vendor Sopha Medical showed its hand in expandingthe functionality of its line of gamma cameras at this month'smeeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Sopha, ofColumbia, MD, displayed works-in-progress developments in

Vendor also unveils MacroVision softwareThe trickle of nuclear medicine vendors with digital gamma cameradetectors became a flood at this month's Radiological Societyof North America meeting. Several vendors unveiled developmentsin digital

While other nuclear medicinevendors play catch up by adding digital to their gamma cameras,digital pioneer Summit Nuclear will display its second-generationall-digital gamma cameras, FX-80 and FX-40. The cameras will make their RSNA debut after being

The market depth of Siemens Medical Systems is evidencedby the number of new systems the vendor will unveil in modalities from nuclear medicine to CT to ultrasound. In nuclear medicine, Siemens will soon implement a new modular strategy that allows

Holding the spotlight in SophaMedical's booth will be Sophycamera DST-XL, a new version of theFrench nuclear medicine vendor's variable-angle dual-head technology.The gamma camera was unveiled at the Society of Nuclear Medicinemeeting in Orlando (SCAN

Don't tell nuclear medicine vendorTrionix that you can't fight the Radiological Society of NorthAmerica. The Twinsburg, OH, company is returning to the RSNA'stechnical exhibit after sitting out last year because of a disputewith the meeting's organizers

Vendor creates units for medical equipment and RIS businesses ADACLaboratories last week announced a corporate reorganization thatcreates separate business units for its nuclear medicine and health-careinformation systems products. The move is

Firm cracks Japanese market with Sumitomo dealNuclear medicine vendor ADAC Laboratories is predicting smoothsailing ahead after a choppy 1994. In a teleconference with industryanalysts this month, ADAC executives painted a picture of a

ADAC pays $2 million as part of settlement Nuclear medicine vendorsADAC Laboratories and Elscint went down to the wire in their legalfight over gamma camera patents, but in the end decided to settleout of court rather than proceed to trial. As

The Food and Drug Administrationinformed Canadian nuclear medicine vendor Park Medical Systemslast week that its Isocam 2 digital dual-head gamma camera hasbeen cleared for marketing. Park, of Lachine, Quebec, is now poisedto take a run at other

Nuclear medicine vendorADAC Laboratories recorded a one-time gain of $8 million lastmonth due to the elimination of a tax credit associated with difficultyears the company experienced in the 1980s. The credit was offsetin part by a $5.5 million charge

PET may also get a boost from FDA certification of FDGThe soundyou hear may be gridlock breaking. Positron emission tomographypassed two regulatory milestones last month that could help breathelife into moribund sales of this high-end nuclear

New products may get vendor back on track ADAC Laboratories saw its stock go into the tank this month afterthe company projected third-quarter earnings to be sharply lowerdue to fierce competition in the domestic nuclear medicine market.Despite

DOE chief affirms support for effort The U.S. Department of Energy is close to finalizing a decisionto shift the focus of its molybdenum-99 program from the OmegaWest nuclear reactor to one at Sandia National Laboratory. TheDOE hopes to begin

This month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meetingin Orlando was proof positive that the recent slump in gamma camerapurchasing has not had a pronounced effect on technological innovation.Despite a plunge in orders that began late last year,

Imaging services provider MedicalDiagnostics (MDI) completed its acquisition of Meritus HealthServices, a provider of mobile CT, MRI and nuclear medicine imagingservices. Meritus is based in Roanoke, VA, and serves 17 hospitalsin Virginia, West Virginia

The downturn in the U.S. nuclearmedicine market hit Sopha Medical Systems last week. The U.S.subsidiary of French gamma camera maker Sopha Medical said itwould lay off about 9% of its work force in reaction to a declinein gamma camera orders over the

Novel engineering of ECAT ART aims for cost-efficient operation The nuclear medicine group of Siemens Medical Systems hopes to take some ofthe pain out of purchasing a new PET camera by introducing a newsystem that will sell for under $1

XPert Lays Base for Computer-aided Diagnosis Elscint will introduce a Pentium-powered nuclear medicine workstationat this month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Orlando,FL. The workstation, called XPert, will be the platform for

Technique Clears up Cardiac SPECT Images Attenuation artifacts caused by human anatomy have long been aproblem for nuclear medicine specialists doing cardiac SPECT.Anatomical structures such as the diaphragm, breasts and anteriorwall of the

Software Programs Improve Quantification As a mature modality, nuclear medicine has been forced to fendoff challenges from other technologies encroaching on its turf.The use of nuclear medicine in brain imaging, for example, hasplummeted since

Firm also reports drop in European sales of OncoScintNuclear medicine'stepid acceptance of monoclonal-antibody-based imaging agents istaking its toll on MoAb pioneer Cytogen. The Princeton, NJ, companyannounced this month that sales of its

Nuclear lab closing Omega West reactorThe Department of Energy is reconsidering its plan to restartthe Omega West reactor at Los Alamos National Laboratory in NewMexico in order to produce molybdenum-99, the raw material fortechnetium-99m. The

Drop in orders may signal prolonged slumpSales of nuclear medicine equipment remained level through muchof 1993, while orders in other modalities plunged due to apprehensionabout health-care reform. Nuclear medicine's easy ride could becoming

Neoprobe is establishingan Israeli subsidiary to run a radiolabeling facility for monoclonalantibody agents used in its nuclear probe technology (see above).The U.S. firm signed a memorandum of understanding with the Israelifirm Rotem Industries in

Underlying technology bought from PhilipsThe patent infringement legal dispute between nuclear medicinevendors ADAC Laboratories and Elscint took an unusual turn lastmonth. ADAC acquired patents from Philips Medical Systems relatingto gamma

Park Meditech of Toronto unified its corporate structure overthe past two months and gained a listing on the U.S. NASDAQ stockexchange (symbol: PMDTF) last week. The moves are part of Park'spositioning for a worldwide launch into the nuclear medicine

Nuclear medicine equipment vendors are having the last laugh overcritics who predicted in the 1980s the eventual demise of thegamma camera market. As 1993 comes to a close, it appears thatnuclear medicine will be the fastest growing segment of the

Trouble is brewing again at a Canadian nuclear reactor that isthe source of much of the world's supply of molybdenum-99, theraw material for the nuclear medicine tracer technetium-99m. Thedispute could result in higher prices for a number of

Sopha Medical Systems' short-lived effort to expand into the U.S.MRI market is about to come to an end. The nuclear camera andcomputer vendor's parent company is close to completing a dealto shed the MRI venture, according to Buster Houchins, vice