December 19, 2011 — Veran Medical Technologies announced the release of its SPiN Drive platform upgrade for bi-planar virtual fluoroscopy view used to navigate multiple planes simultaneously. This advancement is the first of its kind in pulmonology; it enables physicians to view the location of the Always-On Tip Tracked instrument in a fluoro-like view without any radiation being delivered to the patient, physician or staff.
December 19, 2011 — KLAS has recognized DR Systems and its combined Unity RIS-CVIS-PACS platform as the No. 1 ranked overall PACS vendor and product. The recognition came in KLAS’s 2011 Top 20: Best in KLAS Awards - Software & Services Report.
December 19, 2011 — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced reimbursements for diagnostic imaging services performed by the same physician, to the same patient, during the same session will remain the same. CMS has, however, informed the American College of Radiology (ACR) that “operational limitations” will prevent them from applying the imaging professional component Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) to group practices beginning Jan. 1, 2012.
eHealth Saskatchewan plays a vital role in providing IT services to patients, health care providers, and partners such ...
December 19, 2011 – The role of cardiovascular ultrasound in the catheterization laboratory has never been appreciated more than it is today. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) allows a multidisciplinary team of interventionalists and echocardiographers to replace a patient's diseased aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery, enabling a new and potentially life-saving method of treatment for inoperable patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.
December 19, 2011 – At RSNA 2011, Agfa HealthCare launched its automated DX-D 600 digital radiography (DR) system into the U.S. market. Combining user-friendly design with excellent image quality in a high-productivity direct digital X-ray room, the fully automatic system also offers the latest in state-of-the-art auto-positioning technology.

SPONSORED CONTENT — EnsightTM 2.0 is the newest version of Enlitic’s data standardization software framework. Ensight is ...
December 19, 2011 –– 3DISC, a manufacturer of digital imaging solutions, unveiled its next-generation FireCR+ Medical and FireCR+ Veterinary Readers at the 2011 Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago Nov. 27–Dec. 2. The FireCR+ Readers feature significantly improved image quality, increased stability and reduced maintenance requirements, building upon 3DISC’s unique first-generation FireCR technology.
While most women understand the importance of health screenings, an estimated 72 million have missed or postponed a ...
December 16, 2011 — RaySearch Laboratories AB announces the first patient in Europe has been put on a treatment plan created with the company’s treatment planning system RayStation. The treatment was carried out at RISO, the Radiotherapeutic Institute in Deventer, the Netherlands.
December 16, 2011 — A new report from market research firm IMV Medical Information Division reveals the growth rate for interventional procedures being performed in U.S. angiography labs has fallen to 1 percent annually. Fewer sites are buying brand-new systems, and in coming years hospitals most likely will focus on replacing existing systems.
Vendors showcase the latest medical imaging technological advances each year during the annual Radiological Society of ...
Fujifilm’s APERTO Lucent is a 0.4T mid-field, open MRI system addressing today’s capability and image quality needs ...
December 16, 2011 — Positron Corp. announced this week that on Dec. 12, 2011, its Attrius & Attrius L positron emission tomography (PET) scanners received approval for sale in Canada.
December 16, 2011 – MIM Software Inc. said Mobile MIM received its second U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the release of its new version, Mobile MIM 3.0. Mobile MIM is now cleared for diagnostic X-ray and ultrasound viewing, as well as radiation treatment plan review and approval. Mobile MIM 3.0 is available on the Apple App Store. The app includes sample images to demonstrate its expanded functionality.
December 15, 2011 – Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. has added two new enhancements to the Radrex-I digital radiographic (DR) X-ray system. The system now features DICOM Radiation Dose Structured Reporting and Reject Analysis software.
SPONSORED CONTENT — Fujifilm’s latest CT technology brings exceptional image quality to a compact and user- and patient ...
December 15, 2011 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the American College of Radiology (ACR) to accredit the Planmed Nuance and Nuance Excel full-field digital mammography (FFDM) systems beginning Dec. 27, 2011.
December 15, 2011 – Diablo Valley Oncology, an oncology practice in the San Francisco East Bay, recently administered its first breast intraoperative radiation treatment (IORT) using the Xoft Axxent eBx electronic brachytherapy system at Aspen Surgical in Walnut Creek.
December 15, 2011 – As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe, effective and appropriate medical imaging, the American College of Radiology (ACR) has joined the ABIM Foundation and eight other medical specialty societies in Choosing Wisely. The new campaign promotes wise choices by physicians and patients to improve health outcomes, avoid unnecessary interventions and make efficient use of healthcare dollars.
December 15, 2011 – McKesson today announced the successful deployment of its market-leading medical imaging solution at the first four of 35 hospitals in Ireland as part of an exclusive partnership with the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE). Beaumont Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Sligo General Hospital and Waterford Regional Hospital are among the first to roll out McKesson's Horizon Medical Imaging picture archiving communications system (PACS) and radiology imaging system (RIS) as part of HSE's National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) initiative.
Kellie Bedenbaugh, a registered breast imaging technologist at the Breast Health Center at Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center, is excited about the hospital’s recent installation of two tomosynthesis systems and what it means for her patients. “Tomosynthesis helps our radiologists see inside the breast much more thoroughly. The images acquired produce a high-quality digital mammogram along with images that the computer divides into multiple layers, which the radiologist can view one millimeter slice at a time,” explains Bedenbaugh.
At 59, George LaVie (not his real name) faced an uncertain future. Based on rising PSA levels (prostate-specific antigen), he had undergone a transrectal ultrasound biopsy (TRUS) to attempt to determine the presence of disease. The results were negative.
As radiation treatments have advanced in complexity, treatment facilities such as the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital have faced greater demands for accuracy and precision in treatment. “Having the additional degrees of freedom (DOF) made possible by CIVCO’s Protura robotic patient positioning system has been an important advance for our program,” said Tim R. Williams, M.D., medical director, Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
December 15, 2011 – Siemens Healthcare offers a new information source for anyone facing an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) or a nuclear medicine examination. At www.medicalradiation.com, medical journalists and Siemens experts provide patients and interested members of the general public with basic details regarding medical radiation – including the fundamentals of the physics involved, an introduction to imaging procedures and notes on minimizing radiation exposure. A glossary explains the most common technical terms in a succinct, readily comprehensible manner.