Konica Minolta and Shimadzu to Co-market Dynamic Digital Radiography in the U.S.

July 23, 2019 — Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas Inc. along with Shimadzu Medical Systems USA announced a collaborative agreement to co-market the Dynamic Digital Radiography (DDR) technology in the U.S. healthcare market to accelerate commercialization of the technology in the U.S.

Konica Minolta and Shimadzu collaborated on the development of DDR, incorporating Konica Minolta's new advanced image processing and Shimadzu's RADspeed Pro radiographic imaging system. DDR is an enhanced X-ray technology that enables clinicians to analyze and quantify the dynamic interaction of anatomical structures with physiological changes over time to enhance diagnostic capability and efficacy.

In clinical studies conducted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, DDR has been shown to provide a more comprehensive assessment of pulmonary function and pulmonary mechanics than a conventional chest X-ray, as well as visualization of respiratory kinesiology. In a poster presented at the American Thoracic Society 2019 annual meeting, Mary M. O’Sullivan, M.D., associate professor of pulmonary medicine, and Stephen I. Zink, radiologist and assistant clinical professor of diagnostic, molecular and interventional radiology, both at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, reported that DDR delivers a contextual understanding of dyspnea and other pathophysiologic abnormalities, and provides an earlier and more comprehensive understanding of the etiology of dyspnea. Of 16 diaphragm abnormalities identified, six were minimally or non-visible on the chest radiograph while the remaining 10 were better defined. Two cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) not seen on the chest radiograph were detected using DDR. Prior studies by Mount Sinai concluded that DDR may be a clinically relevant option to assess COPD severity in the acute setting, and for patients unable to perform pulmonary function testing.  

Konica Minolta Healthcare and Shimadzu will introduce DDR on the RADSpeed Pro at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA), July 21-24 in Aurora, Colo.

For more information: www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa, www.shimadzu-usa.com