2009 March

Since the FDA placed a black-box warning on echocardiography contrast agents in October 2007, the market for the agents dropped tremendously. But there is good news for the echo contrast agent market and patients as the pendulum is swinging back again. The subsequent movement to educate both regulators and providers has led to a modification of the agencys contraindications and may have generated a resurgence in their usealong with a better understanding of their clinical value.

Thin may be in when it comes to deployment strategies for advanced visualization clients, but dedicated workstations still have a place in the clinical continuum. Although developers are resolutely focused on streamlining the delivery of 3D diagnostic imaging tools to the desktop, standalone systems that can deliver the capabilities of the technology are remaining viable practice partners. The objective: viewing, sharing, and collaborating on images to quickly and easily enable a multidimensional diagnosis.

As more clinical studies tout the benefits of deploying computer-assisted detection (CAD) systems for breast MRI and mammography, the few lingering impediments to widespread adoption seem to be environmental. Low reimbursement rates, unfamiliarity with the technology and the troubled economy remain as potential barriers. However, most radiologists currently using the technology concur that both types of CAD systems add to the accuracy of detecting breast cancer, and therefore, allow for better patient care and almost immediate return on investment.

As the wave toward digitizing healthcare continues to surge, more dark rooms go dark as laser imagers replace these costly and space-consuming spaces. While imagers assist with all modalities and ologies, orthopedics still relies most heavily on hard-copy images, and the imagers can help connect radiology departments to local orthopedic groups.

If the goal of ergonomics is to boost productivity and increase comfort while reducing workplace injuries and errors, never before has ergonomic furniture been a more necessary fixture and economical necessity than in todays radiology environment.

In the early days of the Clinton Whitehouse, MRI became the whipping boy for excesses in medical imaging; today it seems CT is being pushed into the spotlight, both for too many exams being ordered as well as excess radiation dose. That spotlight is likely to get more intense, too, as the government is challenged to slash Medicare costs.