Merge Healthcare Enhances Mammography Review Solution

Milwaukee, WI, March 6, 2009 – Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading medical imaging solutions provider, today announced the latest update to its Cedara I-ReadMammo vendor solution for digital breast imaging review. Version 6.5 is built on over 10 years of continuous development, making it one of the longest running, non-proprietary mammography review software in the industry. Since mammography is a high volume area of radiology subject to its own set of regulations, the software for reviewing these images must be highly specialized. Experience in meeting these regulations, while also allowing for efficient review, is critical.

Merge Healthcare’s Cedara I-ReadMammo 6.5 supports 10 bit medical monitors, which display up to 1,024 simultaneous levels of gray versus the 256 offered by 8-bit monitors. Merge partnered with Barco, a global display and visualization company, for quality control in the development. “I’m very pleased to see the full support for 10-bit precision image display added in version 6.5 of Cedara I-ReadMammo,” said Albert Xthona, Product Manager for Digital Mammography at Barco. “This image enhancement contributes to better mammography workflow, because the actual image interpretation goes faster.”

source= Merge Healthcare

Imaging Diagnostic Systems Achieves Technical Breakthrough with New Reconstruction Algorithm

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., (OTCBB:IMDS) a pioneer in laser optical breast cancer imaging systems, announced today that it has enhanced its CT Laser Mammography (CTLM®) system with a reconstruction algorithm that improves visualization of angiogenesis (cancer) in its images.

During a CTLM examination the breast is illuminated by a laser and the transmitted light is collected by a series of photo detectors and transformed into digital data. The reconstruction algorithm uses this data to create the various images of the breasts. The improved algorithm enhances the images by reducing the number of artifacts occasionally produced during an examination thereby making diagnosis easier.

“Our first-generation reconstruction algorithms were developed and evaluated using data acquired during our initial clinical trials. Since those trails, we have deployed over 26 systems worldwide, providing us with CTLM data from thousands of patients. IDSI’s Research & Development team used this data to optimize the reconstruction algorithms in order to provide better clarity and reduced artifact in CTLM images. We also incorporated streamlined numerical methods into the software so that the new algorithm does not require additional computing resources, allowing us to provide the improved functionality to existing customers as a software upgrade,” stated Steven Ponder, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Development/Imaging Diagnostic Systems.

source: Business Wire

Siemens Celebrates 1,000th Installation of Its All-in-One Digital Mammography Solution

Malvern, Pa., March 10, 2009 – Siemens Healthcare (www.siemens.com/healthcare) celebrates a milestone with the 1,000th installation of its MAMMOMAT® NovationDR, a full-field digital mammography system for screening, diagnostics, and biopsy applications. Susan B Allen Memorial Hospital, an 80-bed community hospital in El Dorado, Kansas, recently received the MAMMOMAT NovationDR, the first system to merge Siemens’ long-standing networking expertise with all the advantages of full-field digital mammography to optimize clinical workflow.

The MAMMOMAT NovationDR is designed to handle the mammography workup from patient registration and image acquisition to post-processing and reading. The system features Siemens’ exclusive dual anode technology. This tube offers three anode/filter combinations that match breast density and thickness – Mo/Mo, Mo/Rh, and W/Rh. With Tungsten technology and high mA output, even dense breasts are examined with shorter exposure times. Dose can be reduced by up to 50 percent, while maintaining image quality.

source: Siemens

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) Can Reduce the Number of Unnecessary Breast Biopsies When Compared to MRI

Pivotal Study Presented at Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Women that require additional diagnostic imaging after a questionable mammogram may be at risk for unnecessary biopsies when only magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is offered, according to a new study presented at the 19th Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference in Las Vegas.

"Our goal was to see if BSGI could be used to improve upon the specificity of MRI, and also reduce the number of biopsies. The study is important because with the addition of BSGI, we could eliminate the need for 50 percent of biopsies or possibly change a patient's decision to have more radical surgery," said Dr. Leora Lanzkowsky, Director of Women's Imaging, CHW - Nevada Imaging Centers in Las Vegas.

BSGI has comparable sensitivity but superior specificity when compared to MRI. Sensitivity refers to the ability of an imaging technique to detect the presence of disease. Specificity refers to the technique's ability to detect that disease is actually not present.

source: PR Newswire

Siemens Celebrates 1,000th Installation of Its All-in-One Digital Mammography Solution

Malvern, Pa., March 10, 2009 – Siemens Healthcare (www.siemens.com/healthcare) celebrates a milestone with the 1,000th installation of its MAMMOMAT® NovationDR, a full-field digital mammography system for screening, diagnostics, and biopsy applications. Susan B Allen Memorial Hospital, an 80-bed community hospital in El Dorado, Kansas, recently received the MAMMOMAT NovationDR, the first system to merge Siemens’ long-standing networking expertise with all the advantages of full-field digital mammography to optimize clinical workflow.

The MAMMOMAT NovationDR is designed to handle the mammography workup from patient registration and image acquisition to post-processing and reading. The system features Siemens’ exclusive dual anode technology. This tube offers three anode/filter combinations that match breast density and thickness – Mo/Mo, Mo/Rh, and W/Rh. With Tungsten technology and high mA output, even dense breasts are examined with shorter exposure times. Dose can be reduced by up to 50 percent, while maintaining image quality.

source: Siemens Medical

MR Applications - Innovations For Women's Health With The Magnetom Espree - Pink, The New Dedicated MR Breast Scanner

Siemens Healthcare exhibits its latest solutions in the field of Magnetic Resonance (MR) for Oncology at the European Radiology Congress ECR 2009 in Vienna. The syngo TimCT Oncology application enables not only comprehensive patient examinations within an extreme short examination time, it can also eliminate the need for multiple examinations with other modalities. The syngo Tissue 4D software supports tissue differentiation of prostate cancer. In addition, Siemens presents innovative technologies in the area of Women's Health: dedicated breast coils for 1.5 Tesla (T) and 3 Tesla systems as well as the new breast scanner Magnetom Espree - Pink. The 1.5T system combines a 70cm Open-Bore design with a dedicated breast care solution. Specifically designed for obese and claustrophobic patients, the large bore makes examinations more comfortable than with previous systems, or, in some cases, it makes them possible for the first time ever. Supplementary software packages such as syngo Grace allow for the biochemical detection of lesions that go beyond imaging.

source: Medical News Today

Research and Markets: Alarming Rise in Obesity-related Cancer Cases Spurs Growth in the North American Breast Imaging Markets

(live-PR.com) - DUBLIN, Ireland (Research and Markets) - Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e3c1d7/north ..) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "North American Breast Imaging Markets" to their offering.

This study identifies technology trends, forecasts future changes in market measurements, and discusses specific challenges facing industry participants and strategic recommendations targeted to overcome these challenges for the North American Breast Imaging Market. The major geographic division covered is North America (including the United States and Canada).

Market Overview
The total North American breast imaging equipment market has seen considerable growth since 2006. One of the contributing factors is the alarming rise in the obese patient population. As studies have confirmed the connection between obesity and cancer, obese postmenopausal women have an augmented risk for breast cancer, and mammography procedural volumes in North America are set to escalate. Considering the age-associated characteristic of malignancy, screening of elderly women is imperative for early diagnosis and evaluation. Imaging and diagnostic procedures are steadily gaining importance as early detection dramatically improves survival rates.

source Live PR