Varian Medical Systems is collaborating with two leading Cape Town universities to launch Africa's first 'Access to Care' program, designed to train cancer caregivers in delivering advanced conformal radiotherapy treatments.

Technology Improvements in Current Generation CT Machines

When 64-slice computed tomography (CT) systems were introduced nearly a decade ago, they were purchased in large numbers to upgrade older 16-slice systems and soon became the new standard of care. Soon after that boom period for CT, sales abated due to the economic slowdown and the uncertainty of future reimbursements due to U.S. healthcare reform. This made many hospitals think hard about replacing CT systems as frequently as they had previously, with many extending the service life from five years to 10 or more.
Daniel A. Grande, Ph.D., director of the orthopedic research laboratory at the Feinstein Institute, and Todd Goldstein, an investigator at the Feinstein Institute

In many ways, medical imaging is the backbone of the entire healthcare industry. Medical professionals can only treat what they can see and observe, and computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other modalities allow them to see inside their patients to find the source of their health problems. The technology has taken major evolutionary steps over the years, progressing from black-and-white to color, from 2-D to 3-D and even 4-D.

Brainlab announced that its Automatic Brain Metastases Planning software has been used for the first time in the United States at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia.

Plan optimization and dose calculation for complex VMAT plans are computationally challenging tasks. Depending on the efficiency of the TPS implementation, and the hardware on which it runs, calculation times can range from a few minutes to up to more than a half hour. It stands to reason that a dosimetrist equipped with a high performing system should be able to produce plans of higher quality compared to one equipped with a slow system irrespective of his/her experience level. This study aims to measure the effect of planning speed on plan quality. 

 

CT Spectral imaging of a foot showing gout. The image was made on a Somatom Force dual energy CT system.
GE’s Gemstone Spectral Imaging technology (above) can help classify enhancing and un-enhancing lesions. The above image depicts a liver lesion with iodine in the arterial phase.
The abdominal scan to the left is demonstrating Spectral Magic Glass and the ability to create multiple spectral views to enhance a kidney mass. Spectral imaging enables iodine to be removed to create virtual non-contrast views.

Computed tomography (CT) has enjoyed a place of prominence in medical imaging since its creation in the 1970s. The modality provides a more complete picture of the body than X-rays, its predecessor, taking images at several different angles to build a cross section, including bone and tissue. The trouble is that it can be difficult to distinguish one object from another in the black-and-white palette, particularly when it comes to smaller lesions or metal artifacts within the body.

During the recent American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) conference in Anaheim, Calif., I had the opportunity to meet with John Boone, Ph.D., FAAPM, president of AAPM, and discuss some of the current trends in medical physics.

The heady days of computed tomography (CT) — when 64-slice scanners drove sales to an all-time high — seems like ancient history. Hard to believe it was less than 10 years ago. Since then demand has fallen. The installed base, predictably, has grown old.

It used to be that once every four to five years, providers would turn out their old CTs in favor of new ones. Lately they have been holding on. The average lifespan of individual systems has grown, in some cases to eight, nine, even 10 years. And it could get longer.

Gustave Roussy has awarded Elekta with an order for four Versa HD linear accelerators, replacing their existing installed base of competing systems. The premier European comprehensive cancer center started its radiotherapy program in 2013.

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