The three-year boom under way in the MRI market continues to drive technology development in the sector as a flurry of new scanner introductions helped the modality take center stage at the 1999 RSNA meeting. Of particular note were advances in bringing
The three-year boom under way in the MRI market continues to drive technology development in the sector as a flurry of new scanner introductions helped the modality take center stage at the 1999 RSNA meeting. Of particular note were advances in bringing higher-field systems to the open scanning realm, with GE, Siemens, and Fonar all devoting attention to this type of system. Conventional high-field scanners also had their moment in the sun, with Hitachi, Philips, and Toshiba rolling out launches.
New introductions at the show werent confined to MRI, of course. In CT, firms focused on improvements in cardiac and pulmonary scanning, thanks to the proliferation of multirow detectors. On the mammography side, GEs filing of a PMA for its digital mammography system and the subsequent recommendation for approval by a CDRH panel have given hope to digital mammography proponents that approval for the technology may finally be at hand.
PACS was everywhere at the meeting, with nearly 300 vendors claiming to show some form of digital image management capability. By nearly all accounts, the PACS marketplace is moving into high gear, sparked by the improved systems integration and scalability of PACS software.
In nuclear medicine, many vendors discussed efforts to improve the spatial resolution of images using fusion software or hybrid systems. ADACs Skylight dual-detector, no-gantry nuclear medicine system also drew considerable attention. In light of PETs explosive growth in 1999, many firms highlighted their commitment to this market.
Digital x-ray systems were also prominent at the show, with many firms adding new systems to their portfolios. One longtime CR proponent, Kodak, even entered the DR market with the release of a family of three systems. Ultrasound vendors for the most part made incremental improvements to their product lines.
But the 1999 RSNA meeting was also notable for what didnt happen. The 1998 meeting was characterized by a flurry of major acquisitions prior to the event, but this years show yielded little activity. The only deal of note was the closing of GEs acquisition of OEC Medical, which was announced in August (SCAN 8/18/99).
Scuttlebutt circulating prior to the conference had mergers or acquisitions occurring between Philips and Picker and Siemens and Toshiba (SCAN 11/24/99), but those rumors failed to pan out. At the show, executives on all sides strongly denied that any deals were in the works, and market speculation has apparently been put to rest.
At least one rumored change did take place with Picker, however. The firm changed its name to Marconi Medical Systems. Pickers parent, British firm GEC, had converted its name to Marconi, which it feels better represents its new focus on communications and information technology, following the divestiture of its aerospace and defense business.
MRI-Based AI Radiomics Model Offers 'Robust' Prediction of Perineural Invasion in Prostate Cancer
July 26th 2024A model that combines MRI-based deep learning radiomics and clinical factors demonstrated an 84.8 percent ROC AUC and a 92.6 percent precision-recall AUC for predicting perineural invasion in prostate cancer cases.
Breast MRI Study Examines Common Factors with False Negatives and False Positives
July 24th 2024The absence of ipsilateral breast hypervascularity is three times more likely to be associated with false-negative findings on breast MRI and non-mass enhancement lesions have a 4.5-fold likelihood of being linked to false-positive results, according to new research.
Can Polyenergetic Reconstruction Help Resolve Streak Artifacts in Photon Counting CT?
July 22nd 2024New research looking at photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) demonstrated significantly reduced variation and tracheal air density attenuation with polyenergetic reconstruction in contrast to monoenergetic reconstruction on chest CT.