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FUJIFILM Medical Systems revolutionary a-Se detector provides unprecedented image quality and platform for advanced 3D applications

FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc., the world leader in Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) with over 7,000 installations, is pleased to debut the Aspire HD FFDM system for the first time in the US. The Aspire HD combines the use of advanced dual layer amorphous selenium (a-Se) next generation detector technology and the smallest pixel size to deliver lower noise and higher spatial resolution at a reduced dose for the patient. The flexible Aspire HD system is poised to deliver next generation imaging performance and a platform for advanced 3Dimensional applications.

Coupled with a recent strategic licensing agreement with Raytheon BBN Technologies, an advanced technology solutions firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who will provide Fujifilm with its patented, award-winning Stereo Digital Mammography (SDM) technology, the revolutionary detector development will not only offer exceptional 2D FFDM images but serve as the foundation for future 3D applications. "Fujifilm's Aspire HD further demonstrates the company's continued dedication to providing the very best FFDM solution for any breast imaging facility," stated Jeanine Rader, Fujifilm's Director and General Manager, Women's Health. "As the world leader in FFDM with the only CR-based system approved in the US and now highlighting a new DR-based system at RSNA 2009 , Fujifilm is poised to develop and introduce revolutionary and innovative technologies to assist in locating the smallest breast cancers at the earliest time."

Already widely used in countries throughout the world as AMULET, the Aspire HD is the first FFDM system to use dual layers of amorphous selenium (a-Se) in its detector. Combined with the first use of innovative Direct Optical Switching (DOS) and legacy 50-micron resolution - the world's best resolution for DR-based FFDM - the system delivers exceptional image quality that provides facilities with the confidence they need for the detailed visualization that's required in mammography.

The DOS technology eliminates the use of Thin Film Transistors (TFTs) which are currently used in other FFDM systems. By eliminating the TFTs, this new technology enables the 50-micron resolution and high efficiency image capture. The result is that the Aspire HD produces images with less noise and reduced dose, while delivering the performance and reliability digital mammography users have come to expect from Fujifilm. Other benefits of the system include its unique ergonomic design that enhances comfort while ensuring maximum access to the chest wall.

The Aspire HD will be paired with Fujifilm's new technologist workstation, the AWS-d*. This new workstation offers technologists a color, high brightness, 2 mega pixel LCD monitor in portrait format for quick recognition of important patient and exposure information. Also available for the first time is an optional high resolution, 3 mega pixel or 5 mega pixel, greyscale companion monitor for quick confirmation of the acquired image. It delivers Fujifilm's efficient three-step workflow to maximize patient throughput and renowned image processing algorithms, Image Intelligence(TM). Fujifilm's same user-friendly user interface will be available on both the AWS-d and the AWS-c*, the workstation that will be paired with Fujifilm's redesigned Aspire ClearView, CR-based FFDM system. This will provide choices and consistency across product lines for a streamlined workflow and greater efficiency for the user of either of Fujifilm's FFDM offerings.

The Aspire HD will be Fujifilm's preferred platform for the introduction of new breast imaging enhancements. With the use of stereo digital mammography display technology, a radiologist will see the entire breast in 3Dimensions, providing a direct, intuitive and in-depth, view of the internal structures, as opposed to current standard methods that provide only 2D images.

"Stereo digital mammography will have several advantages over the much publicized Tomosynthesis technology currently being evaluated for breast imaging," says Rick Upton, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Informatics at BBN. "The radiologist will actually view 3Dimensional images acquired from a Full Field Digital Mammography system rather than individual slices displayed in 2 dimensions from 3D data sets. The potential for seeing behind overlapping structures, faster reading times and other related workflow efficiencies can make 3Dimensional Stereo Digital Mammography an attractive choice for any breast imaging center."

For more information about the Aspire HD and 3Dimensional SDM, visit Fujifilm at RSNA booth #6238 in the South Hall.

Source: FUJIFILM Medical Systems

You can discuss about FUJIFILM Medical Systems and its products & services in the FUJIFILM Medical Systems Company User Group