Mammography

New audit data that will allow benchmarking in screening mammography for U.S. practices are set to be published in the October 2006 issue of Radiology.

Siemens Medical Solutions will launch its newly acquired MammoTest breast biopsy table at the RSNA meeting. The rights to the system were acquired by Siemens this summer from now-defunct Fischer Imaging in a deal brokered by the Federal Trade Commission. By late November, the company expects that its managers in every country will be versed in the prone stereotactic biopsy unit and ready to begin selling it globally, said Erica Rouleau, national sales director for women’s health at Siemens.

Computer-aided detection pioneer iCAD has upgraded its mammography CAD technology. The new product, Version 7.2, is now shipping with the company’s workstations SecondLook 300 and 700.

FujiFilm Medical Systems USA has forged a key distribution agreement with iCAD to serve as a supplier of computer-aided detection products for Fuji’s CR mammography. As important as this deal is to Fuji, it may be even more important for iCAD.

An FDA advisory panel last week voted unanimously against approving an electrical impedance device designed as an adjunct to 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