Nuclear medicine vendor Digirad promoted its new HDSD high-definition digital detectors in its booth at the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) meeting.
The new detectors are featured on the company's Cardius XPO gamma camera, and are the latest generation of Digirad's solid-state digital technology, according to Randy Weatherhead, senior vice president of sales and marketing at the Poway, CA, company.
The new design addresses some of the shortcomings in solid-state detector design that had resulted in digital cameras underperforming conventional Anger cameras in some performance categories, Weatherhead said. For example, HDSD detectors have a 50% improvement in light efficiency over the earlier detector generation, and the detectors now perform as well as Anger cameras in energy resolution. Digirad's technology now either meets or exceeds Anger specifications in all major performance categories, Weatherhead said.
Cardius XPO now has a 500-lb patient weight limit, which enables physicians to scan morbidly obese patients and will result in fewer patients being turned away from cardiac studies. Digirad pointed out the upright imaging position of its system, which has patients seated in a chair rather than lying on a table, as being more comfortable for patients.
Cardius XPO is currently available and is priced from $200,000 to $300,000, depending on the number of detector heads. The system is available with up to three 6 x 8-inch detector heads.
Digirad also demonstrated new mechanics for its Digirad 2020tc Imager system designed to make the system more useful in surgical environments. A new Reach Accessory enables users to adjust the system's height reach to make it more flexible for interdepartmental use. The company believes the system can be a good backup camera for hospitals.
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| Digirad has added a reach accessory to its Digirad 2020tc Imager that makes the unit more versatile. |
Finally, the company's imaging services division, which provides mobile cardiac imaging services to hospitals and physician offices, plans to offer short-term equipment rentals for facilities to help them deal with patient backlogs. The rental terms could be as short as one month, Weatherhead said.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
June 7, 2006
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Digirad prepares for triple-head rollout, December 29, 2005
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