Industry news: 3mensio, CarboMedics, Fujifilm, Henry Schein, MGT, Novadaq, Spring Medical, Toshiba
The University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, has signed a contract with 3mensio Medical Imaging BV for the development and delivery of its 3surgery workstations to enable the conversion of 2D CT and MRI images into 3D pictures.

The new 3surgery workstation is based on 3mensio 3D technology — already proven in radiology — and will be adapted for the specific needs of vascular surgeons to have access to pre–operative measurement tools and be better prepared for minimally invasive surgery, the company said.

“Medical imaging and subsequently measurements are becoming a crucial part in the treatment of aneurysms, using the endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedure,” said Prof. Dr. F. Moll, head of Vascular Surgery at the University Medical Center Utrecht.
3mensio will provide the facility with a user friendly software program which will allow physicians to prepare procedures at their local department offices or even on laptops, said Dr. H. Verhagen, a vascular surgeon at the medical center.

3mensio has been collaborating for a number of years with leading radiologists throughout the world in order to develop their radiology product 3viseon. This collaboration is the first step to expand the 3D products into markets outside of radiology, the company said.


Fujifilm Medical Systems USA is again funding educational travel grants for the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) Annual Meeting, May 6 – 11, in Orlando, Fla.  Two radiology residents or fellows will be awarded with grants, valued at $2,500 each, to help cover registration and courses for the entire ARRS meeting, as well as lodging and travel to and from the conference. The award winners will be notified April 1 and formally recognized during the Scholars and Awards session that will be held on Tuesday, May 8 at the ARRS’s 107th meeting. More: www.arrs.org


Henry Schein Medical Systems announced that its MicroMD EMR 4.5 has been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) and that the product meets CCHIT ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria for 2006. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics, where most Americans receive healthcare. MicroMD EMR 4.5, which is offered through the company's Henry Schein Medical Systems business unit, was tested and received compliance with 100 percent of criteria gauging functionality; interoperability; and security.


Medicsight Inc. announced it has changed its corporate name to MGT Capital Investments (MGT). MGT is the parent company to Medicsight plc, a developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) technologies and software, and Medicexchange plc, an online multi-vendor sales channel for diagnostic, treatment and surgery planning solutions. MGT sits on cash and cash equivalents of $40 million and is positioned to accelerate the commercialization of the business solutions developed by its subsidiaries and seek additional opportunities that are complementary to its business strategy, the company said.

Tim Paterson-Brown, chief executive officer, stated that, "The re-branding as MGT Capital Investments, Inc. more accurately represents our position as an investment company creating shareholder value by supporting the growth of our healthcare information technology subsidiaries. We believe that this initiative should eliminate any confusion between the American Stock Exchange-listed parent company and our CAD-company subsidiary."


Toronto-based Novadaq Technologies has ended its distribution partnership with CarboMedics, which had helped introduce the company’s SPY Intra-operative Imaging System in the U.S. market. Novadaq said that it has hired 12 sales representatives to represent the SPY system throughout the U.S., and this new sales team will partner with Novadaq's 12 existing Clinical Educators to drive SPY System sales and product adoption across the country. Both Novadaq and CarboMedics are currently working together on a smooth transition of sales responsibility for current and future SPY customers from the CarboMedics sales organization to the Novadaq direct sales team.


Spring Medical Systems has received Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) EHR certification for its product, SpringCharts Version 9. The product meets CCHIT ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria and has been tested and passed inspection by 100 percent of a comprehensive set of criteria for: functionality; interoperability; and security.


The Aquilion 64-slice CT and the Vantage 1.5T MRI systems from Toshiba America Medical Systems received top honors in the Medical Equipment Leaders category with two 2006 Best in KLAS awards one in CT and one in MR.  For the first time, KLAS included the medical equipment category in their Best in KLAS round-up and provided ratings for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR).  The Aquilion 64 received an overall score of 90.95 out of 100 in the CT category, and the Vantage received a score of 91.8 out of 100 in MR.
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