Popularity, capability of digital sensor grow

Production of the world’s only flat-panel cardiac cath system, Innova 2000, will soon double, according to developer GE Medical Systems. The boost in production is due to rising customer demand for the product, according to GE, which reports a backlog of more than 200 orders. Innova 2000 uses the Revolution amorphous silicon detector, which converts x-rays into digital signals. The detector is also being adapted to allow dual-energy chest radiography. GE announced in early September that the FDA has cleared this version of the detector for use in dual-energy subtraction studies of the chest. With the newly refined detector, the chest system automatically generates three images: a standard radiograph, an image of the soft tissue with the bones removed, and an image of the skeletal system. This set of images promises to help radiologists detect smaller pathologies and reduce the need for additional scanning procedures.