Mammography

Practitioners consider Europe in the quest for better quality

Canada dives into Kodak XR Totoku bundles Matrox controller board IBA sells cyclotron in TurkeyFirm enters breast biopsy market

More mammography facilities closed in the U.S. than opened for business between 2001 and 2004, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office released Aug. 16. The report concludes that current supply is sufficient to meet the demand, but the GAO’s reason is an indictment of U.S. healthcare.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has published two new standards for manufacturers of hard-copy and soft-copy reading devices for full-field digital mammography. The FDA-sanctioned documents should help breast imaging facilities meet their obligations under the Mammography Quality Standards Act.

Fischer mammo biopsy IP goes to SiemensInSightec adds $15M to coffersStereotaxis revenues fall, orders surge

It costs just 16¢ per patient screened to ensure that women return for recalls after mammography, and the price is well worth paying, according to a study from Michigan.

Medical physicists at Duke University are employing an approach similar to the one used by millions of Internet users daily to obtain computer-driven second opinions on mammograms demonstrating suspicious breast masses. The Google-like approach compares questionable mammograms with selected images ranked to reflect the likely value of their information content.

Dr. Britton Chance is one of the most inventive people in biomedical imaging.

Want faster and more accurate mammography decisions? Someday, you may be able to use a Google-like tool to get them.

Elekta showcases advanced planning systemsKodak unveils QC mammography tool at AHRA

MR elastography could provide noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, according to researchers in Belgium and Minnesota. The technique could lead to earlier detection in patients at risk and reduce the need for biopsy.

The heart and kidneys appear in their true surroundings in this fusion of science and art composed by scientist turned photojournalist Andrew Tsiaras.

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.