CHICAGO - Fujifilm
Medical Systems USA directed visitors to its 2003 RSNA booth to the new
computed radiography readers and enhancements to its Synapse PACS program. In
computed radiography, the Stamford, CT-based vendor introduced two new members
of its SpeedSuite CR configuration with FCR Velocity-U and the Velocity-T.
Velocity-U offers low-cost of ownership for a chest system,
and yields throughput of 240 images per hour, said John Strauss, director of
marketing, imaging systems. Velocity-U received Food and Drug Administration
clearance December 1, while Fuji
expects to have clearance on the Velocity-T early in 2004.
Fuji's Velocity-T is a new cassette-less digital table system for general radiographic exams.
The Velocity-U chest unit displays fully processed images in
seven seconds, using a storage phosphor cassette-less detector, Strauss said.
It will be listed at around $250,000 in a fully integrated room, including
x-ray tube and generator.
Fujifilm is also showing ClearView-CS for mammography, a new
application for its CR reader technology that debuted earlier this year.
ClearView-CS is a cassette-based, digital x-ray unit that includes a
multi-cassette stacker design. Its patented dual-sided reading technology
results in 100% higher detective quantum efficiency (DQE), according to Fuji.
The unit’s spatial resolution is 50 microns for both 18 x 24-cm and 24 x 30-cm
cassettes.
The FDA has not yet cleared the device for digital
mammography applications, but when it does, Fuji
said it expects ClearView-CS to process up to 20 screening mammography exams
per hour from multiple exam rooms.
Fuji also showed
its XG5000 multi-plate reader, which is expected to be released before the end
of the year. It has a four-cassette stacker design that allows multiple imaging
plates to be read and erased simultaneously, processing up to 165 plates per
hour. Images are available on the Flash IIP console in as few as 15 seconds.
PACS
Fuji’s digital
image management highlights include Synapse Module Release 1, a
work-in-progress Synapse extension. Module Release 1 features integrated
document scanning and enhancements to the vendor’s reading protocols, said Paul
Wilder, product manager, networks systems.
An auto-filer document scanning capability allows users to
scan documents directly into Fuji’s
PowerJacket application. Fuji’s
reading protocols have been given additional automation functionality, allowing
radiologists to rapidly and consistently view the necessary information based
on the acquired exam type, according to the vendor.
Physicians can also save, manage, and share reading
protocols, allowing users to tailor a presentation sequence to their own
interpretation preferences, or select from a standardized library of protocols,
Fuji said. Module Release 1 is
scheduled to begin shipping in the first quarter of 2004.
In works-in-progress demonstrations, Fuji
showed a new bulk document scanning application that scans documents, analyzes
the file, and automatically places it into the appropriate location in the
master patient jacket. Fuji doesn’t
have a timeline yet for commercialization, Wilder said.
Fuji is also
showing as works-in-progress: CT image-processing capabilities, enhanced
annotation functionality, and DICOM SCU capabilities for Synapse workstations.
In partnership news, Fuji
has inked a strategic partnership with cardiac PACS firm Heartlab, allowing the
companies to offer image and information management systems for radiology and
cardiology data with a centralized storage and hardware infrastructure. The
firms said they are exploring additional integrations to leverage the open
architecture and Web-based capabilities of both products.
Fuji has also
created a development agreement with image-guided surgery software provider
Integrated Surgical Systems. The firms will collaborate to incorporate ISS
surgical planning technologies into Synapse software.
Fuji and ISS will extend ISS’ Orthodoc preoperative planning
workstation into 2-D based surgery planning workstations; both 2-D and 3-D
surgery planning technologies will be integrated directly into Synapse and
offered as an option for those sites performing orthopedic joint replacements,
according to the companies.
Fuji has also
signed on structured reporting developer ClickView. Both vendors will integrate
ultrasound reporting capabilities into Synapse.
In new customer news, Fuji
has added SUNYUpstateUniversityHospital
in Syracuse, NY;
Newton-WellesleyHospital
outside of Boston; CapitalRegionalMedicalCenter in Tallahassee,
FL; RiversideCommunityHospital
in southern California, OakHillRegionalMedicalCenter in Florida;
and AthensRegionalMedicalCenter
in Athens, GA.
Fuji also filled
out its printing portfolio with the introduction of DryPix 5000, which combines
features of its flagship DryPix 7000 system with the ability to function with
110-volt power. DryPix 500 is suitable for centralized imaging departments or
high-speed CT applications, and delivers throughput of 130 14 x 17-inch and 180
smaller-size films per hour, according to the vendor.
The imager can be configured for as many as three film
trays, accommodating 14 x 17, 10 x 14, 10 x 12, and 8 x 10-inch films, Fuji
said. DryPix 5000 is expected to begin shipping in January.
