Lawsuit threatens Hologic

Varian unveils interventional angio detector

Varian Medical introduced its first digital detector designed specifically for interventional angiography. The new PaxScan 3030+ uses an efficient cesium iodide scintillator, optimized for scanning at 40 to 150 kV, to help minimize patient radiation dose over the 30 x 30-cm span of the detector. Although particularly suited for interventional angio, the panel, which delivers up to 30 frames per second and can support 3D conebeam CT capabilities, is also compatible with cardiovascular imaging systems and surgical C-arms.

VI goes down under

An Australian vendor of electronic medical records is pairing up with Vital Images to provide advanced visualization. Under the partnership, the Aussie company, DDI Health, will offer Vital Images' technology as its primary advanced imaging delivery system to PACS customers and their referring physicians.

FDA moves to assess iCAD virtual colonography

Computer-aided detection specialist iCAD has asked the FDA to clear its VeraLook CAD system for CT colonography. The software, which is currently available commercially in Europe, reconstructs CT data into a 3D model of the colon. An image analysis tool detects and marks structures that may be precancerous polyps.

Lawsuit threatens Hologic

Women's health specialist Hologic could run into legal problems if the company goes ahead with plans to sell its Adiana Permanent Contraception system in the U.S. The developer of a nonincisional permanent birth control product, Conceptus, has asked the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California to declare that Hologic's planned importation, use, sale, or offer to sell Adiana will infringe several of its U.S. patents. Hologic is best known for digital mammography, but since its acquisition in 2007 of Cytyc, it has become a major player in other areas of women's health, including contraceptive devices.