Technology Update

Digital radiography
The Royal Marsden in London has installed new digital radiography equipment. The Kodak Directview DR 7500 will handle about 15,000 annual imaging examinations of inpatients and outpatients. In the above photo, senior radiographer Vicky Kataike gets to grips with the new product.
See www.kodak.com/go/health

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Carotid stenting
Boston Scientific has welcomed the announcement by the Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee (IPAC) of the U.K. National Institute for Clinical Excellence, confirming the short-term safety and efficacy of stent placement for carotid artery stenosis. The company manufactures the Carotid Wallstent Monorail device and the FilterWire EZ embolic protection system.
See www.bostonscientific.co.uk

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French speaking
Paris' hospital network (Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, AP-HP) will implement speech recognition technology in all of its 39 public hospitals. The SpeechMagic equipment will be installed throughout the network by 2010.
See www.speechrecognition.philips.com

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Emergency room

Xograph has installed a digital radiography room in the emergency admissions unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, U.K. The installation includes a buckyStar DR general x-ray system incorporating three Canon CXDI flat-panel detectors.
See

www.xograph.com

and

www.canon-europe.com/Medical

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DVD recorder
The MDR recorder from NAI Tech Products provides high-resolution video recording of dynamic and static image series in a DICOM format. It can be used with most mobile C-arm devices.
See www.dicombox.com

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MRI innovation
Medrad's Certo MR wireless network allows equipment to be moved more easily in the MRI suite and control room. The vendor's first wireless-enabled product to operate on the network is the Veris MR patient monitor.
See www.medrad.com

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Mammography
At the RSNA meeting in Chicago, Sectra will exhibit MicroDose mammography as a work-in-progress. It features photon-counting technology, which has applications in contrast-enhanced mammography, dual-energy imaging, and tomosynthesis.
See www.sectra.com

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Workflow tool
Meta Fusion has released an integrated product for the digital management of a radiology department or clinic. Helium is an advanced turnkey RIS/PACS application aimed at imaging centers and small hospitals, helping them to move into the digital age.
See www.metafusion.net

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European investment
Hologic has doubled the size of its European headquarters in Brussels. In May, the vendor acquired AEG Elektrofotografie, which manufactures photoconductor materials for electro-photographic applications.
See www.hologic.com

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Portable ultrasound
The LOGIQ P5 ultrasound unit from GE Healthcare is intended for portable radiology department applications, as well as for use in private practices and specialized clinics.
See www.gehealthcare.com

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Cardiac exhibit
Esaote showed its MyLab advanced cardiac package at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona in September. It includes XStrain technology and the MyLabTM70 family, MyLabTM50 family, and the MyLabTM30CV ultrasound systems.
See www.esaote.com

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Computed radiography
Fuji's computed radiography system for mammography provides 18 x 24-cm and 24 x 30-cm fields-of-view and 50-micron pixel sampling. For a hospital or clinic that performs both general radiography and mammography examinations, the FCR reader offers multipurpose capability and subsequent cost savings, according to the vendor. The product received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval during the summer.
See www.fujimed.com

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ACS in Italy
The Congregazione Fatebenefratelli (Regione Meridionale) group of hospitals in southern Italy is introducing a LifeWeb PACS at three more sites. Following the installation at its Isola Tiberina hospital, sites at Rome, Palermo, and Benevento now have digital systems from Ferrania. A fifth installation, at Naples, may follow soon.
See www.ferraniait.com

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Ultrasound development
Medison's SonoAce X8 unit (above) can perform abdominal, ob/gyn, small parts, vascular, and cardiac examinations. It will be on display at the RSNA meeting and at MEDICA in Duesseldorf. The product will go on sale in early 2007.
See www.medison.com

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Image display
Ergotron has launched the LX display cart. The device enables height adjustment of large screens up to 60 kg with just one hand, without using any levers or knobs to keep the screen at the desired height.
See www.ergotron-europe.com

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Radiation detector
A cadmium telluride (CdTe) solid-state radiation detector from Acrorad can provide high-energy resolution, detection efficiency, and spatial resolution for x-ray and gamma ray equipment. The use of CdTe enables sharper imaging for diagnosis and reduces radiation exposure in CT, SPECT, and PET, according to the company.
See www.acrorad.co.jp/index_us.html

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Disaster relief
Schering has contributed more than Euro 400,000 in relief aid since the tsunami struck in December 2004. It helped build an orphanage for 64 children in Lhoksumawe, Indonesia, and it supported the rebuilding of the local health center on the Thai island of Kho Khao.
See www.schering.de

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Ultrasound transducer
SonoSite's high-frequency broadband transducer, the C11e, can visualize the delivery of regional anesthesia and line placement. Its curved array format displays the structures surrounding a nerve that need to be monitored while inserting a needle or catheter.
See www.sonosite.com

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Changes in Belgium
Aloka has taken over the activities of its distributor Biomedic Belgium, which has sold the vendor's equipment for the past 20 years. The company has been renamed Aloka N.V.
See www.aloka-europe.com

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MRI workstation
The Vitrea 2 MRI workstation overcomes the limitations of conventional 3D visualization packages by emphasising speed and ease of use, according to Toshiba Medical Systems. The equipment helps physicians screen for diseases at an earlier stage, diagnose conditions less invasively, and plan surgery and other treatments.
See www.toshiba-europe.com/medical

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Ultrasound probe
Hitachi's L53 high-resolution linear probe has a frequency band between 4.5 MHz and 10 MHz. An aperture of 64 mm allows simultaneous examination of extended anatomic structures. The high Doppler sensitivity guarantees localization of small vessels with low blood flow. The probe is also available with a 38-mm aperture.
See www.hitachi-medical-systems.com

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Orthopedic workstation
Rogan-Delft has introduced the View Pro-X Ortho workstation. It enables surgeons to select and monitor orthopedic implants. Results of measurements are stored in a DICOM structured report and can be consulted afterwards to evaluate relative wearing over time.
See www.rogan-delft.com

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MRI receiver
Mercury's digital MRI receiver contains noise-reduction features. Visage MR is a high-bandwidth analog-to-digital receiver board. It incorporates phase-stabilization technology that virtually eliminates phase-error-induced noise in MRI images.
See www.mc.com

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Online services
At the RSNA meeting, Neurostar Solutions will introduce a range of new online services as part of its Virtual Radiology Network clinical image workflow platform. It is offering an expert opinion consulting service, as well as a portal enabling online sign-up and configuration of a customized VRN solution.
See www.NeurostarSolutions.com

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Data archiving
Siemens has certified StorageGRID software from Bycast as a data archiving platform for its radiology PACS, Sienet, and its cardiology PACS, Syngo Dynamics. The software aims to simplify the storage, management, and protection of patient data.
See www.siemens.com

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Visualization tools
Vital Images has unveiled the Connect 4.0 and VitreaACCESS products, which are intended to simplify complex clinical workflows and improve clinical communication.
See www.vitalimages.com

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MRI monitoring
The Precess MRI patient monitoring system from Invivo is 3T-compatible and 5000 Gauss-compliant. It offers wireless remote display and supplies wireless ECG and wireless SpO2 readings.
See www.invivocorp.com

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Reporting system
More than 45 U.S. veterans' hospitals are installing Agfa HealthCare's TalkStation voice recognition and dictation system. Each of the hospitals is expected to be running its latest version (3.1) by early 2007.
See www.agfa.com/healthcare

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London installation
The new imaging department at London's Whittington Hospital is on schedule to open in late 2006. It has taken delivery of its final piece of equipment, the Philips Achieva MRI system. Asteral, the vendor-independent Managed Equipment Services (MES) provider to the U.K. National Health Service, was appointed under a 15-year MES contract to supply and manage the imaging equipment.
See www.asteral.com/news.htm

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EU regulations
Matrox Graphics has announced that many of its display controller boards, including the Matrox MED series, RAD series, TheatreVUE series, and AuroraVX series, comply with RoHS regulations. On 1 July 2006, the EU adopted a directive on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment.
See www.matrox.com/graphics

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CT cardiac analysis
Barco has expanded its range of advanced visualization and analysis software. Voxar 3D 6.1 can be used for structural and functional analysis of CT cardiac images and is designed to accelerate all aspects of the clinical workflow.
See www.barco.com/medical

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Italian art
Bracco is sponsoring an exhibition of over 60 paintings by Bellini, Giorgione, and Titian. It is being held at Vienna's Kunsthistoriches Museum from 18 October to 7 January.
See www.bracco.com

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High-field MRI
The York NeuroImaging Centre, U.K., houses a GE Healthcare 3T HD Excite MR system. It allows detailed examination of the brain (including functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging) and spine.
See www.alliancemedical.co.uk

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Workflow partnership
TeraRecon and Commissure are working together to integrate and deliver workflow solutions independent of the equipment deployed in a hospital or clinic.
See www.terarecon.com

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Digital radiography
Swissray's DR units now come equipped with an automated positioning system that streamlines the radiography workflow process by automating positioning and image acquisition requirements.
www.swissray.com

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Multimedia imager
Horizon consists of a dry film imager, color imager, and gray-scale paper imager. Switching among film, color, and paper requires no operator intervention.