Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The Society of Nuclear Medicine rolled into sunny San Diego this week on a high note. Interest in molecular imaging is rising thanks to the power of PET and in particular PET/CT, which is pushing the boundaries of diagnostic performance.
PET/CT is starting to break out of its stronghold in oncology imaging and expand into new realms, in particular cardiology, where recent good news on the clinical and economic fronts are breathing new life into cardiac PET imaging using the rubidium-82 tracer. SPECT/CT cardiac studies are also generating interest, with a heart image produced through a fusion of a SPECT exam and a 64-slice CT study garnering Image of the Year honors.
The promise of the cardiac PET market is starting to draw the attention of nuclear medicine vendors, some of whom are targeting cardiologist offices with dedicated cardiac PET cameras and services -- an obvious effort to repeat their success in cardiac SPECT. Look for new product introductions in this area in the months to come.
On the SPECT side, industry consolidation has dramatically reduced the number of major gamma camera vendors from what it was five or 10 years ago, but new companies continue to percolate to the surface with new designs and technologies. As in PET, the cardiac SPECT niche in particular is drawing a number of new entrants who believe they have built a better mousetrap.
Another hot new market segment is preclinical imaging, and visitors to the SNM exhibit floor witnessed a number of new systems on display, with companies ranging from the largest multimodality giant to the smallest start-up dipping their toes in the water.
Click on the links below for a complete roundup of clinical and business news from the 2006 edition of the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
