Siemens Healthcare Sparks Interest at Big Bang Fair in Birmingham

Children learn about healthcare innovation with hands on experience of latest ultrasound imaging technologies Siemens was a lead sponsor for the third year running at the recent Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. It is the largest event promoting technology, engineering, science and maths for young people in the UK and was attended by thousands of school children from across the country. Siemens Healthcare showcased a number of innovative products to educate children, including an ACUSON S2000™ diagnostic ultrasound system. Students visiting the Siemens stand were able to use the system to scan a model fetus within a simulated womb and were shown how to analyse the 3D images captured. These hands on demonstrations proved extremely popular and gave the children unique insight into modern medical imaging solutions. “The ACUSON S2000 ultrasound system, proved a popular attraction with children on the Siemens stand, showing clearly how structures from deep within the body can be instantly captured and presented on a workstation to help with medical diagnosis or treatment planning,” comments Bernadette Leonard, Regional Sales Manager and Clinical Applications Manager, Ultrasound and Echocardiology Products at Siemens Healthcare. “We are committed to nurturing children’s fascination with medical technology...

aycan Introduces aycan Print to Brazilian Market at Sao Paulo Radiological Meeting (JPR 2012)

joint exhibit with Brazilian Xerox partner LSK supports aycan expansion into Latin America Rochester, New York, April 2, 2012.  aycan, a recognized worldwide leader in medical imaging, and its Brazilian Xerox partner LSK, will exhibit together and demonstrate the highly successful aycan print solution at the 42nd Radiological Meeting (JPR 2012) held May 3 – 6 at the Transamerica Expo Center Sao Paulo, Brazil.  The exhibit marks aycan’s entrance into the Brazilian market and further expansion into Latin America. aycan print is a vendor neutral DICOM paper-print solution, designed to replace costly film printers and to improve communication with referring physicians and patients.  Compatible with PACS and modalities using the DICOM 3.0 standard, the aycan print solution fit seamlessly into existing workflows “This joint exhibit supports our longstanding relationship with Xerox and our overall strategy to grow and support customers in the Latin American region,” said Frank Burkhardt, aycan Director, North & Latin American Operations. “We’ll lead into the market with aycan print, our base solution for improving medical imaging workflows and reducing costs and follow with our other more advanced solutions such as aycan store (PACS) and OsiriXPRO.” aycan print prints images on plain paper in color or black and white at less...

Battlefield Imaging Receives ACR Accreditation in Breast MRI

Battlefield Imaging, a joint venture of Diagnostic Radiology Consultants and Erlanger at Hutcheson based at Ringgold, GA, has recently received a 3 year accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR). The accreditation was awarded in breast MRI. The accreditation recognizes the high level of breast MRI provided by Battlefield Imaging. Breast MRI is a valuable tool for detection of breast cancer as it provides images with high quality, more than those of mammography or ultrasound. Barbara Marshall, director of Battlefield Imaging spoke about the recent ACR accreditation. She said “Earning this accreditation is a result of outstanding commitment from our team of board certified radiologists and professional staff to assume the highest standards in imaging capabilities” She continued “We are proud of our accomplishments and the ability to deliver quality service, through advanced MRI technology to the Northwest Georgia community.” ACR accreditation is awarded following an extensive review carried out by a panel of board-certified physicians and medical physicists. Various criteria are evaluated before granting the ACR accreditation, including the condition of imaging modalities, knowledge of staff, quality control and quality assurance programs. The panel reports its findings to the ACR Committee on Accreditation. The latter then awards its accreditation along with...

Spire Washington Realises MRI Flexibility with New Siemens Healthcare Installation MAGNETOM Avanto

MAGNETOM Avanto 1.5T installation delivering “exquisite” image quality for radiologists Spire Washington Hospital in Washington, Tyne and Wear has installed a MAGNETOM® Avanto 1.5T MRI system from Siemens Healthcare, and was recently opened by players from Newcastle Falcons Rugby Football Club. The static system replaces use of a mobile solution shared between multiple sites, allowing the private healthcare provider to conduct rapid scans and provide its patients with access to MRI imaging on an ongoing basis. This is helping to boost patient throughput and workflow efficiency. The installation also allows the hospital to offer dedicated vascular imaging, which it was not able to perform in the past, and has opened the possibility for further applications in the future, including cardiac scanning and advanced musculoskeletal imaging. The Avanto from Siemens Healthcare enjoys one of the most comprehensive application ranges available, allowing radiologists to diagnose challenging conditions such as stroke, spinal abnormalities and heart disease with confidence. The system also has an accessible low-to-the-floor table position of just 47cm that can support patients of up to 250kg and enables feet first exams to be conducted for nearly all MR procedures. The Avanto’s AudioComfort functionality harnesses special magnet suspension, special casting for gradient coils and a...

Phillips County Hospital Selects Novarad

American Fork, Utah, April 3, 2012 – Phillips County Hospital, a rural hospital in Phillipsburg, Kans., selected NovaPACS Browns Medical Imaging, a Novarad distributor, facilitated the contracts. Phillips County Radiology Department averages 400 exams per month and radiologists at Plains Radiology in Kearney, Neb read the exams. Because studies are read offsite, the NovaPACS feature of routing studies to any computer was key to the selection. The ability to assign cases to radiologist-specific worklists, the availability of images and reports anytime via any web browser, PDA or smart phone, and 24x365 support were additional factors that contributed to the decision. NovaPACS web-based PACS can be completely customized by the user and includes MPR, rapid reading / reporting features, voice recognition, templating, advanced tools and features, critical findings, quality control and overread and discrepancy reporting. NovaRIS, developed on the same platform as NovaPACS, generates reports, measures profitability and facilitates paperless management of patient records. About Novarad With more than 800 installations worldwide, Novarad is the healthcare community's trusted provider of radiology technologies. Novarad's full diagnostic suite of PACS, RIS, cardiology, and mammography systems increase radiology efficiency and deliver unmatched value. Novarad products are consistently top rated, are easy to use, and come with lifetime upgrades...

RadNet to Acquire West Coast Radiology in California

RadNet, Inc., a leading provider of medical imaging services in the United States via a network of 233 centers, announced that it has signed an agreement to buy West Coast Radiology. The latter is a network consisting of five multi-modality imaging centers in Orange County, California. West Coast Radiology’s facilities are established in Anaheim, Santa Ana/Tustin, Irvine and Mission Viejo/Laguna Niguel. They provide various imaging services including MRI, mammography, CT, and ultrasound. Estimated revenue of $17 million will be delivered to RadNet following the acquisition of West Coast Radiology. "This transaction significantly strengthens our position in Orange County, CA. Not only do the West Coast Radiology sites broaden our footprint in Orange County, but it also greatly strengthens our physician capabilities in that region." said Dr. Howard Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer of RadNet, noted, "This transaction significantly strengthens our position in Orange County, CA. Dr. Berger continued “For almost 25 years, West Coast Radiology has been one of the premier radiology providers in Orange County. West Coast Radiology has successfully nurtured close relationships with several longstanding Independent Practice Associations and other medical groups with whom they contract in Orange County, representing future expansion opportunities for RadNet. I welcome the West Coast...

Using Radiology Against Obesity, Studies

A number of studies using radiology procedures against obesity were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting. The event took place recently in San Francisco, California. Obesity represents one of the main health issues in a lot of communities. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US say that nearly 127 million (65%) citizens in the country are currently being overweight, obese or morbidly obese. In addition, the morbidity rate of obesity in the US is rising. During the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting, several studies about using radiology against obesity were discussed. For instance, one of the studies used minimally invasive X-ray on the arteries of the stomach to block hunger feeling. Another study discussed the use of stem cells in cases of vertebral disc degeneration. Charles Y. Kim, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and a lead author in the studies, said "Currently, there are three clinically viable surgical alternatives for obesity: gastric bypass surgery, gastric pacing and endoscopic gastric banding. These procedures have varying success rates; they are invasive, require extensive gastric/bowel reconstruction or external devices and can have significant surgical complications." Dr....

A New Software Solution Detects Breast Cancers at their Earliest Stages

A team from the University of Calgary, in Canada, has managed to create a new software solution that can detect breast cancer at very early stage, even before the development of a tumor. The solution was created by engineers from the university's Schulich School of Engineering, along with radiologist Dr. Leo Desautels. The team reviewed 106 mammograms from women who later on developed breast cancer. However, these women received a clean bill of health when they underwent initial screening. The new software solution was used to check those mammograms once again. The researchers managed to determine suspicious lesions that did not appear when the mammograms were reviewed in the first time. On average, these lesions were detected 15 months before tumors or other cancer signs were identified clinically. Raj Rangayyan, the lead author in the research, commented "There is cancer there, but no tumor yet" adding "There is no mass or lump. . . . What we are identifying is what we call 'architectural distortions.' " Dr. Rangayyan said that in normal breast, the tissues, blood vessels, and lymph ducts are all converging towards the nipple. However, when cancer is developing changes start to take place. For example, some breast tissues get pushed...

SeeMyRadiology.com Honored with the 2012 PointClear HIT Innovation Award

Recognized for its Advanced On-Demand Image Sharing Platform for Imaging Facilities,  Physicians and Patients ATLANTA — (March 28, 2012) SeeMyRadiology.com has been named recipient of the PointClear Solutions Healthcare Technology Innovation Award for its groundbreaking online platform that makes medical images and related information available on demand to imaging facilities, physicians, and patients worldwide. Taking advantage of secure cloud technology to store and share images, SeeMyRadiology.com is in use by hundreds of affiliated sites across the country and globe for communications with referring physicians, virtual consultations, trauma transfer cases and second opinions. The PointClear Solutions Award, now in its second year, is presented to organizations that recognize the highest achievements in the healthcare IT industry by organizations driven to advancing innovation through revolutionary ideas. Winners are distinguished by their commitment to creating value by implementing new ideas. The nomination process begins in the fall, with finalists determined each December. The winners are unveiled at the national Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference each spring. SeeMyRadiology.com was one of two awards finalists, selected from among 50 nominees along with the overall award winner. “We are honored to have been chosen for this prestigious award based on both our technological innovation and forward-thinking application...

Charing Cross Hospital is the First in The UK to Install an ACUSON S2000 ABVS from Siemens

Automatic Breast Volume Scanner offers in-depth 3D tissue detail and ease of use Charing Cross Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is the first in the UK to install an ACUSON S2000™ Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS) from Siemens Healthcare. The system, located in the Breast Services Department, is ideal for patients with a history of breast disease on frequent image recall or radiographically dense breast tissue. Full field volumes of the breast enable rapid 3D analysis without significant compromise in image quality. The ACUSON S2000 ABVS allows the operator to examine breast anatomy and pathology in detail and provides efficient semi-automated reporting for improved workflow. It uses a high frequency 14MHz automated transducer with a large 15cm by 17cm field-of-view and an ultra-high resolution 18 MHz high-density hand held transducer is also available for the system facilitating even greater system flexibility. A range of advanced applications are available for the ACUSON S2000 ABVS, including eSieTouch, a qualitative imaging technique that provides pathology insights and reveals the relative stiffness of breast tissue. The system offers an adaptive ergonomic user-experience for radiographers. This includes easy manoeuvrability of the adjustable scanning arm and a one-button locking mechanism to help alleviate the problem of...