Mammography

Duke researchers hammer away on CAD system to help sift large tomo data sets

Early adopters educate insurers about value of each component of fusion imaging

Hologic earnings continue to boomSchering outlook brightensSupertron raises $3.5 millionPhilips/Intermagnetics deal clears antitrust hurdleFDA clears serial tomotherapy product

Advanced Research Technologies shuffles execsKodak inks global ordersHologic meets European screening standardOptoacoustic imaging firm attracts $3M

Schering declines option on blood clot agentHologic Acquires R2 Technology

Siemens Medical Solutions is poised to enter the prone stereotactic breast biopsy market later this year, as the result of a consent agreement signed last week by Hologic and the Federal Trade Commission regarding assets Hologic purchased last year from Fischer Imaging (DI SCAN 7/10/06, FTC scuttles Hologic purchase of some Fischer Imaging assets).

CR mammography approved for U.S.< br>Premier awards iCAD short-term contractONI marks milestone

The Federal Trade Commission has undone Hologic’s purchase last year of Fischer Imaging’s mammography assets, finding that the acquisition of Fischer’s prone stereotactic breast biopsy systems business harmed U.S. consumers by eliminating Hologic’s only significant U.S. competitor for the sale of this type of product. As part of the FTC settlement, Hologic is required to sell the Fischer prone biopsy assets to Siemens.

Molecular data from optical breast imaging may be an answer for some of the shortcomings of mammography. Advanced Research Technologies (ART) in Quebec is betting on it.

CE-sonography helps trauma assessmentFDG-PET guidelines appear in publicationPlanmed submits FFDM application

CAD no longer stands merely for computer-aided detection. Today's robust software programs make it possible to help characterize, or diagnose, nodules, particularly in the lungs. Current computer-aided technology favors detection, but the ability to diagnose lung nodules based on certain characteristics continues to develop rapidly. It's only a matter of time before computer-aided detection and computer-aided diagnosis become mainstay tools for pulmonary evaluation.

Batch reading of mammography studies has economic and clinical advantages, but it poses challenges for patient follow-up. Researchers in Michigan, however, claim they spend just 16¢ cents per patient screened to ensure high patient compliance with recalls. They say the low price is well worth paying.

Schering remains up for grabsHologic boosts outlook for digital mammoPlanar expands stereoscopic LCDs

As the incidence of malignant melanoma increases, researchers are seeking ways to accurately and reproducibly measure tumor volume and therapy response. Computer-aided volumetry may be an answer.

State-of-the-art CT scanners demonstrate exquisite image quality. The rapid advance of multislice technology has been accompanied, however, by concerns over the increasing medical radiation burden. Radiologists concerned about MSCT dose would be well advised to learn how they can tailor their own scanning protocols to optimize the balance between radiation exposure and image quality, according to Prof. Dr. Willi Kalender, director of the Institute for Medical Physics, University of Erlangen, Germany, speaking at the European Congress of Radiology.

Future cancer management may rely on identifying healthy individuals at risk before they develop symptoms of disease, according to National Cancer Institute researchers.

Making investment decisions is perhaps the most important responsibility of any executive. Examples in healthcare include building a new structure and purchasing a major piece of equipment. The typical approach involves a very long and tedious list of questions. For vendors, this means answering those questions. However, in the early stages, when strategy is required, Real-Win-Worth (RWW) is the way to go for both the buyers and the sellers of those investments.

The pending FDA approval of FujiFilm’s computed radiography-based mammography system will radically change how the company approaches the U.S. market not only in CR but in PACS. Company strategists plan to position two CR products -- the single-plate reader ClearView-1m (mammography) and the multicasssette reader ClearView-CSm -- as dual-purpose devices capable of converting analog mammography systems to digital, while amplifying the capacity of and backing up already installed CR devices. Fuji will simultaneously market a mini-PACS for mammography that can be integrated with currently installed PACS, increase the capabilities of these PACS, and eventually replace them.

Dartmouth researchers have combined MR and near-infrared (NIR) imaging to form a hybrid breast scanner. The prototype, which has been tested successfully on volunteers and some breast cancer patients, is being groomed to detect early tumor growth and to stage tumors by characterizing their vascular and cellular makeup. By developing combined NIR/MR imaging, the researchers hope to evolve this hybrid into a mainstream modality for diagnosing breast cancer and following the treatment of patients.

Computer-aided detection software results in just a slight improvement in breast cancer detection, and it misses a substantial number of malignancies, radiologists reported at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting on Thursday.

Automatic and recommended settings on digital mammography systems have a significant impact on patient dose as well as image quality, according to a study presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting on Tuesday.

The one indispensable piece in Hologic’s rise to power in the digital mammography marketplace is the amorphous selenium flat detector that serves as the heart of its Selenia full-field digital mammography system. Recognizing the importance of this component, Hologic has acquired AEG Elektrofotografie, its sole provider of the amorphous selenium photoconductor coating applied to Selenia’s digital detectors, in a deal valued at more than €21 million.

Digital tomosynthesis shows promise for improved lung nodule detection compared with chest radiography. It may also improve performance of CAD algorithms for lung nodule detection by eliminating structure overlap that causes many false positives, according to a study presented at the 2005 RSNA meeting.

Researchers from Seoul National University Medical Center found that ultrasound-only detected breast cancers are not very sensitive to a mammography computer-aided detection system.

Minimally invasive CT colonography has been embraced by radiologists and patients alike. As the technique evolves, its use is shifting from specialized academic centers to community hospitals and private practices. That transition is focusing increased attention on reimbursement, clinical efficacy, and interpretation issues. Computer-aided detection for CTC could affect all three.

Less than a week after going public with its intent to acquire Suros Surgical, Hologic announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire R2 Technology, the acknowledged pioneer of computer-aided detection. The stock swap is valued at $220 million. With the Suros deal (valued at $240 million) already on the table, Hologic now has about a half-billion dollars in transactions in the works.

Hologic sales soar in 2Q Intelerad to launch workstation at SCAR meetingOhio State adds 12T magnetSiemens FFDM ready for the roadExecutive shuffle goes into high gear

SonoSite allies with Siemens in GermanyFDA approves optimized digital mammography unitCommissure launches RadCube suite

BrainLab readies image-guided drug plannerCardinal Health taps new top exec

Women’s health imaging specialist Hologic has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Suros Surgical Systems, a maker of breast biopsy equipment. The deal, valued at more than $240 million, could make the Indianapolis company a wholly owned subsidiary of Hologic by the end of the second quarter, pending due diligence and final approval by Suros’ investors and regulatory clearances.