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Studies conclude the Agfa HealthCare ’s digital mammography solution supports improved radiologist workflow; neonatal imaging technology produces better images

Agfa HealthCare , a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces that research studies featuring its digital mammography review station technology and neonatal imaging technologies will be featured in presentations given at the Radiological Society of North America ( RSNA 2009 ) Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, held from November 29-December 3, 2009 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Digital Mammography
Dr. Cherie Kuzmiak, director of the Breast Imaging Division at the Department of Radiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, will present a study that used Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX for Breast Imaging solution to compare the interpretation times of screen-film mammography and soft-copy digital mammography.

Using Agfa HealthCare 's IMPAX for Breast Imaging, Dr. Kuzmiak and her team conducted the study to track changes in workflow and patient throughput as their division transitioned from film-screen to digital mammography. In a three-phase study that included 295 patients, Dr. Kuzmiak's team found that digital mammography decreases the amount of time needed by radiologists for image interpretation.

IMPAX for Breast Imaging is a diagnostic digital mammography solution that combines high-contrast, state-of-the-art review stations with powerful automation tools that improve mammography workflow and radiologist efficiency.

Dr. Kuzmiak's presentation will be held on Wednesday, December 2 at 3:40 pm in McCormick Place's Arie Crown Theater.

Neonatal Imaging
Dr. Mervyn D. Cohen, the Eugene C. Klatte Professor Emeritus of Radiology at Indiana University, will present the results of a research study that evaluated Agfa HealthCare's new thick-needle phosphor plate technology as a replacement for existing powder phosphor plates for neonatal chest imaging using Computed Radiography (CR).

Thick-needle phosphor plate technology, proprietary to Agfa HealthCare, was developed for use in the DX-S CR system to address the challenges of neonatal radiography, such as minimizing radiation dosage and enhancing image detail.

In the two-phase study, radiologists compared the images of infants who had undergone chest x-rays using standard and reduced exposure techniques from both the old and new systems. Dr. Cohen and his team found that radiologists expressed a significant preference for images obtained with Agfa HealthCare's new needle phosphor technology compared to the older powder technology.

The DX-S is a high throughput, compact, portable CR solution that allows for lower radiation dose while providing high image quality and faster patient throughput. The improved sensitivity of the DX-S can decrease the number of exposures due to repeats caused by inadequate exposure technique.

Dr. Cohen's presentation will be held on Sunday, November 29 at 12:30 pm at McCormick Place's Lakeside Learning Center.

Source: Agfa HealthCare

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