Industry News
ACR Image Metrix™ is dedicated to keeping you abreast of the latest trends and information as they relate to our organization's strategic vision and focus.
12.29.11 Brain Imaging May Provide New Biomarker of Huntington's Disease
At this time, phase 2 and 3 clinical trials are limited by use of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, which lacks sensitivity and requires long observation periods to show definitive change in motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric domains of the slowly evolving disease. In a longitudinal study known as TRACK-HD, an international group of investigators led by Sarah J. Tabrizi, MD, PhD, from the University College London, United Kingdom, found that measures derived from brain imaging techniques were the most effective for measuring disease progression over the course of 2 years, particularly with respect to atrophy.
12.20.11 Scientists Find Safer Ways To Test Medical Procedures
Scientists are developing more sophisticated versions of "virtual patients" with the aim of testing medical devices and procedures that can't readily be assessed in real people. Virtual patients are realistic-looking computerized models. They use medical data and computer software and graphics to mimic real people, with skin, bones, fat and organs of realistic size, shape and composition. Virtual patients could allow medical device companies to test new products earlier, helping the devices get to market more quickly and cheaply, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
11.11.11 Global Medical Ultrasound Equipment Market to Reach US$6.9 Billion by 2017
Since its introduction in the early 1950s, the medical ultrasound has engulfed a major share of the medical imaging market next to X-Ray. After the slack of early 90s, the ultrasound equipment market improved significantly in late 1990s, due to the advancement in new technologies such as 3-D and 4-D, which led to the development of innovative equipment offering better image quality, and improved clinical outcomes. The US continues to remain the single largest regional market. The market for handheld ultrasound systems in the US is expected to flourish in the wake of technological developments as well as enhancements in 3D and 4D carried out by leading equipment producers such as GE, Siemens and SonoSite. Asia-Pacific constitutes the fastest growing regional market with a CAGR of 9.4%.
Digital Journal
10.28.11 U.S. Medical Device "Total Cost of Content" Estimated at over $1 Billion
Propelled by aging worldwide populations and developing economies, the U.S. medical device industry has witnessed remarkable growth and globalization over the past 15 years. However, one unwelcome side effect has been an increased volume of content necessary to make, register, train, and market devices worldwide. According to U.S. manufacturers' estimates, the total cost associated with creating, approving, updating, maintaining, translating, and formatting content in the key areas of Regulatory, Marketing, and Training amounts to approximately 1 percent of revenue, or $1 billion per year.
10.17.11 Faster Alzheimer’s Detection in Sight
The approval of imaging agent, Amyvid, would enable earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and potentially pave the way to better therapies. The late-stage product, under development by Eli Lilly, is pending approval. Amyvid would be used to find beta amyloid plaque in the brains of living people who undergo a positron emission tomography scan.
10.03.11 Focus on Open Innovation in Medical Device Industry Driving Adoption of e-Zassi Software
The market for Innovation Management Software (IMS) is rapidly expanding as medical device companies understand the many benefits provided by a formal open innovation business process. e-Zassi is addressing this need with the first Open Innovation software platform specifically designed to meet the requirements of the complex medical device industry. Today leading medical device companies and healthcare organizations are deploying the e-Zassi InnoVision(TM) solution and are recognizing the benefits that it brings to the new product development and innovation management process. e-Zassi.com, a provider of web-based software solutions that have been developed to enhance business development and technology transfer of medical devices.
09.20.11 GE Healthcare Unveils Ultra-Low Dose CT Technology with Profound Image Clarity
Now available in the U.S., GE's breakthrough CT imaging technology, Veo, may help physicians accurately diagnose with high image clarity at previously unattainable low dose levels. GE Healthcare announced 510(k) clearance of its revolutionary Computed Tomography (CT) technology which may help physicians deliver accurate diagnoses by enabling profound CT image clarity at dramatically lower dose. Veo represents the CT industry's first Model-based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) technique, and is already available on GE Discovery CT750 HD systems in Europe, Canada and regions of Asia. While complementing the robust imaging capabilities of GE's advanced Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASiR) technique, Veo represents a significant technological leap forward just as the topic of diagnostic medical radiation levels has come into the national spotlight.
09.07.11 Annual Breast Exams, Mammograms Still Key to Detecting Breast Cancer
Contrary to some other findings, new research indicates that mammograms and breast self-exams are useful for the detection of breast cancer, including cancers in younger women. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis among women, after skin cancers, and is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women.
08.31.11 Uncovering the Spread of Deadly Cancer
For the first time, scientists can see pathways to stop a deadly brain cancer in its tracks. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have imaged individual cancer cells and the routes they travel as the tumor spreads. The researchers used a novel cryo-imaging technique to obtain the unprecedented look at a mouse model of glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly aggressive cancer that has no treatments to stop it from spreading. A description of their work, and images, will be published September 1, 2011, in the journal Cancer Research.
8.25.11 Test May Detect Alzheimer's Before Symptoms Start
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a noninvasive method of assessing brain chemistry, can identify early changes linked to Alzheimer's disease in people who display no cognitive deficits. Investigators studied 311 people between the age of 70 to 80 years. Researchers assessed the level of amyloid-beta deposits or plaques in the brain, administered proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to evaluate whether participants had abnormalities in several brain metabolites, and conducted neuropsychometric testing to assess memory, attention and executive, language and visual-spatial functions.
08.18.11 Self-referral a significant factor in imaging growth, study finds
A study recently published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology has suggested that self-referral in medical imaging may be a significant contributing factor in diagnostic imaging growth. Self-referred imaging is identified as physicians or non-physicians who are not radiologists directing their patients to their own onsite imaging services — or the referral of patients to outside facilities in which the referring physicians have financial interest. In the current political and economic environment, the release noted, diagnostic imaging expenditure is one area of interest in the push to reduce health care costs.
08.11.11 What Health Reform Means for Radiologists
The health care system as you’ve known it will look drastically different within the next few years, and the radiology industry is set to change with it. If you want to stay afloat and have a competitive practice, you must know which parts of the health reform legislation will affect you and how to handle them. In addition, there is a drive to require preauthorization for all advanced imaging studies. Controlling costs is the impetus behind the measure, but the consequences could adversely impact patient care.
07.29.11 Medical Devices and the Public’s Health: The FDA 510(k) Clearance Process at 35 Years
Medical devices play a critical role in the health care of Americans. They can range from simple tools, such as tongue depressors and bandages, to complex or life-saving equipment, such as pacemakers, magnetic resonance imaging machines and heart–lung machines. Devices that are deemed to have a moderate risk to patients generally cannot go on the market until they are cleared through the 510(k) process. Devices that are subject to the 510(k) process include blood pressure cuffs as well as some types of contact lenses and pacemakers.
07.25.11 Global Diagnostic Imaging Market - Competitive Landscape and Forecasts from 2010 to 2016
The global diagnostic imaging market is expected to grow from $20.7 billion in 2010 to $26.6 billion by 2016, at an estimated CAGR of 4.2% from 2011 to 2016. Increasing aging population and widening applications of diagnostic imaging due to continuous developments are predominantly driving the diagnostic imaging market. In addition, with increasing awareness amongst consumers regarding preventive care and development of products that result in harmless imaging is further receiving a boost. The emerging trend that is catching interest of the players is a fusion of nuclear imaging with different modalities of diagnostic imaging products.
07.18.11 Samsung looks to muscle in on GE, Siemens in the imaging market
Samsung Electronics is looking to muscle in on the medical imaging market, planning to spend more than $1 billion acquiring companies in the space so it can compete with giants GE Healthcare and Siemens, according to Reuters. "Demand for expensive medical equipment will keep growing," Shinhan Investment Corporation Analyst Bae Ki Dal told the news service. "The market is mostly dominated by foreign companies now. It will be interesting to see how Samsung will compete with them."
07.06.11 ACR: Medicare cuts arbitrary, undermine care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 50 percent cut to the professional component for multiple procedure payments in certain settings, a move the American College of Radiology (ACR) said amounted to “blind cost-cutting” that would imperil many radiologists and undermine patient care. ACR called the Proposed Rule “unprecedented” in its aim at the professional component of physician services. Citing the closure of some 212 mammography facilities in the U.S. and recent slowing of growth in imaging, the ACR argued that further cuts would seriously jeopardize access to care, independent radiology practices and patient outcomes.
6.27.11 Hospitals pilot AT&T's new cloud-based medical imaging
Healthcare heavyweights Baptist Health System in Alabama and Henry Ford Health System in Michigan are piloting a new AT&T cloud-based imaging storage and retrieval system. The Ford pilot started in mid-June and is set to run for six months. It's designed to replaced hard-disk storage for the hospitals 2,000-plus non-invasive cardiac studies, and 250-plus Cath lab studies each month. One of the other big values for the cloud-based storage option is that it offers automatic backups at multiple sites, something Henry Ford had to contract with multiple back-up vendors for in the past
6.24.2011: Protecting pacemakers from hackers
These days, it is hard to escape news about electronic systems being compromised. Some of the largest systems in the world have proven themselves vulnerable to security threats. But what about some of the smallest? Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and insulin pumps, have become more common, and innovative approaches have enabled doctors to improve the well-being of their patients through additional data monitoring and control without the need for additional surgery. However, it's also opened the door for security threats. Experts have noted that implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, are vulnerable to attack.
6.23.2011: Imaging combo may diagnose gastric cancer without biopsy
The combination of white light endoscopy and magnifying narrow-band imaging shows promise for achieving accurate diagnosis of early gastric cancer, based on a prospective, randomized, controlled trial conducted in Japan. The trial included patients with a history of endoscopic treatment of early gastric cancer who were at high risk for developing recurrent gastric cancer. The study’s primary objective was to contrast the diagnostic accuracy of the two modalities. Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and the earlier the diagnosis, the better the patient’s prognosis.
6.20.2011: Radiology: PET/CT can detect recurrent prostate cancer
Prostate carcinoma is the second leading cause of death in men in the U.S., with 32,050 estimated deaths in 2010. Although approximately 30 percent of patients will experience recurrence of elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, those with biochemical failure may not manifest clinical disease. In a study of 50 patients (mean age, 68.3 years; age range, 50 to 90 years), the researchers found that amino acid transport as characterized with anti-3-18F-FACBC PET/CT depicted local recurrence with a sensitivity of 89 percent, whereas conventional imaging with 111In-capromab pendetide SPECT/CT had a sensitivity of 69 percent.
6.10.2011: New Imaging Technology Promising for Diagnosing Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes
Researchers have developed a new type of imaging technology to diagnose cardiovascular disease and other disorders by measuring ultrasound signals from molecules exposed to a fast-pulsing laser. The new method could be used to take precise three-dimensional images of plaques lining arteries. Other imaging methods that provide molecular information are unable to penetrate tissue deep enough to reveal the three-dimensional structure of the plaques, but being able to do so would make better diagnoses possible.
6.8.2011 GE, Mayo Clinic to develop prototype MRI brain scanner
GE and Mayo Clinic announced that they are the recipients of a five-year, $5.7 million research grant to study and develop a dedicated MRI brain scanner to image a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including stroke, depression and autism. GE says the researchers will develop a prototype system over the next three years and spend the remaining two years of the project testing it in human clinical trials at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke–arms of the National Institutes of Health–awarded the grant.
6.7.2011: SNM Annual Meeting: research highlights
The 58th SNM (Society for Nuclear Medicine) Annual Meeting, held in San Antonio, TX, brought together more than 4,000 members of the molecular imaging and nuclear medicine community, as well as over 150 exhibitors displaying breakthrough technologies and developments in the field. The meeting focused on sharing the latest advances in molecular imaging and therapy. This article outlines the research discussed at the meeting, including highlights surrounding the promising performance from clinical PET/MRI.
5.30.2011: State-of-the-Art Women’s Imaging, University Radiology Associates, LLP in Syracuse, NY, is pleased to bring positron emission mammography (PEM) to the Central New York area
Affiliated with State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, University Radiology Associates, LLP, offers a wide range of imaging services designed specifically for women, including breast MRI, digital mammography, bone-density studies, ultrasound-guided breast biopsies and stereotactic breast biopsies. The addition of PEM rounds out the available options, allowing the practice to provide all-inclusive imaging care. Compared to breast MRI, mammography and ultrasound, PEM provides both increased sensitivity and the ability to quantitate the metabolic activity of a suspected breast lesion – features not available with these other modalities.
5.26.2011: Five hot trends in healthcare technologies
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Distinguished Professor Atam Dhawan, an electrical engineer and chair of the the IEEE emerging technology committee, details five areas where medicine and electronics come together to have the greatest impact on lives. The list includes point of care technologies, optical imaging, neuroscience, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and robots.
2.19.2011: FDA approves First Pacemaker, apt for safe MRI scans
The FDA approved First Pacemaker, safe for MRI scans. Previously, MRI procedures were not recommended for patients with implanted pacemakers due to the potential for adverse events. As a result, an estimated 200,000 pacemaker patients in the U.S. have to go without MRI scans each year. The newly approved pacemaker, known as The Revo MRI SureScan Pacing System, includes a function that is turned on before a scan to prepare patients for the MRI. An estimated 5 million patients worldwide are currently implanted with a pacemaker or a related heart device called an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
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