X-ray News Round Up - June 2024

Cranfield, UK, 1st July 2024 – In this monthly news round up, I offer some of the latest news and developments impacting the X-ray markets that caught my eye in recent weeks, including my thoughts on the implications for the market.

Interventional and Surgical X-ray?

Philips' Zenition 90 Motorized C-arm earns FDA clearance?

In June, Philips received approval for their Image Guided Therapy Mobile C-arm System 9000 –Zenition 90 Motorized. This is a new addition to Philips Zenition series. The new system is designed with features including automatic vascular outlining, motorised movement and table side operator controls to improve clinical and workflow efficiency.?

According to Signify Research’s new report, the Surgical C-arm market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% through to 2028. This will be driven by shift from Image intensifier to FPD and expansion of clinical applications. The success of a product in the maturing market mainly depends on addressing workforce challenges and proving better quality images This FDA approval is expected to improve Philip’s position in the market.??

GE Healthcare and MediView Installs World’s First Augmented Reality Interventional Suite for Radiology?

GE Healthcare and MediView XR have successfully installed the OmnifyXR Interventional Suite at North Star Vascular and Interventional in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This augmented reality-based radiology suite combines a holographic heads-up display with live medical imaging, 3D anatomy model visualisation, and advanced imaging technologies. Supported by features such as multi-stream video display, customisable views, and voice commands, the suite is expected to enhance workflow efficiency, ergonomics, and collaboration during procedures. As augmented reality continues to develop, it holds immense potential for improving image-guided therapy and delivering even more precise care.?

Breast Imaging?

Advancement in Non-Radiation Breast Screening?

Researchers in Barcelona are running a project called QUSTom, to develop a technology to diagnose breast cancer without radiation. The technology uses 3D tomographic ultrasounds and supercomputing, potentially complementing mammograms. The project, coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), is currently undergoing clinical validation at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital with volunteer participants.?

It's worth noting that other companies are also developing similar radiation-free technologies for breast cancer screening. For instance, QT imaging has already received FDA approval for their Breast Acoustics CT Scanner.

Studies Demonstrating the Benefits of Supplemental Breast Screening with Ultrasound and MRI?

A recent study published in the Radiology journal demonstrated that using supplemental automated breast ultrasound tomography (UST) to mammography improved breast cancer detection in dense breast compared to mammography alone. The study found that area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for mammography plus UST was 0.60, while for mammography alone, it was 0.54 (P = .03).?

In another study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), subsequent rounds of abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MR) screening for women with dense breasts lowered abnormal interpretation rate (AIR) compared to baseline examinations, while providing a high cancer detection rate (CDR). The cancer detected by supplemental screening included early- stage and node negative, further supporting the use of AB-MR for supplemental screening in this patient cohort.

There are still many unmet needs and uncertainties related to supplemental screening, and regulations vary widely between countries and regions. For instance, in the US, three more states (New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Iowa) recently approved reimbursement coverage for supplemental screening for dense breast.

General Radiography and Fluoroscopy?

DMS Group Receives Funding from the French Government; Also Partners with Medilink Imaging to Sell M1 X-ray Systems in the US

In June, French medical imaging vendor and manufacturer, DMS Imaging, received funding from the French Government scheme ‘Industrialisation et Capacités Santé 2030’. This €400 million government scheme will see investment between 2025 and 2030 and will support medical devices and in vitro diagnostic devices. DMS-Imaging is expected to utilise a proportion of this funding within their Mirror M project, which aims to complete a new production line for mobile DR systems tailored for use in emergency settings.

Additionally, the premium mobile DR vendor and subsidiary of DMS Imaging named solutions for tomorrow, announced a distribution partnership with Medilink, a subsidiary of the imaging vendor Vieworks. Within this partnership, Solutions for tomorrow are aiming to commercialise and sell their !M1mobile DR system in the US via Medilink.?

With over 500 units deployed in 35+ countries, solutions for tomorrow is poised for significant growth by entering the US market through this partnership.?

The !M1 is marketed as the smallest, most lightweight mobile DR system on the market, making it particularly well-suited for use in mobile applications. The additional offering of a transportable !Mobile wall stand within the solutions for tomorrow’s portfolio, allows for the creation of transportable radiology rooms to be created in conjunction with the !M1.?

Carestream Expands Reach in Peru With Strategic Partnership?

Carestream also formed a new distribution partnership in June with Distribuidora Médica Diagnóstica (DMD), who are one of the largest medical device distributors in Peru. DMD will now exclusively distribute Carestream products which it hopes will translate to significant business for Carestream as DMD’s existing customer base seek to digitalise. Already, DMD has sold 80 DryView printers for Carestream under this deal.?

Annalise.ai Wins NHS Tenders as Part of NHS England’s New AI Diagnostic Fund

In June, Annalise.ai announced that is has won several significant tenders within the NHS, funded by the UK’s AI Diagnostic Fund. This will result in 6 NHS imaging networks adopting Annalise.ai’s chest X-ray AI solution, Enterprise CXR, which is, already implemented within three NHS trusts. It is estimated that this will result in Enterprise CXR being available for over a third of all X-ray exams carried out in England.?

The AI solution will be used to increase the diagnostic accuracy and case-load prioritisation of chest X-rays, with the primary aim of investigating its ability to hasten lung cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Enterprise CXR is capable of scanning chest X-rays for up to 124 findings, providing additional clinical value for pulmonary, cardiovascular and orthopaedic indications to name a few.?

Data from its existing implementation at the NHS Grampian has already shown the CXR AI to be capable of reducing the time between the initial chest X-ray and the commencement of lung cancer treatment by an average of 9 days. It also increased the identification of lung cancers in earlier stages by 27% proportionally.?

Qure.ai and Strategic Radiology Join Forces to Improve Radiology Workflows with AI?

On June 18th, Qure.ai revealed a new collaboration with Strategic Radiology, a coalition of privately owned radiology practices in the US. These practices serve over 300 hospitals and 450 imaging centres across 30 US states.

The partnership offers a potential user base increase of over 1700 radiologists for Qure.ai’s CT and X-ray AI solutions. This includes their early lung cancer, stroke and TBI detection solutions for CT and qXR andtheir X-ray AI solution, which pre-populates reports, triages X-ray exams, and flags numerous findings such as high risk for heart failure, pleural effusion or lung cancer.?

qXR has already demonstrated positive results in its sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in a study by Harvard. ?In addition, the ability to notify radiologists of potential findings from CT and X-ray exams, and assist with X-ray report generation, holds promise to reduce radiologist workloads in an industry facing shortages and high burnout. This announcement is the latest development in a long line of AI partnerships formed with radiologist networks, demonstrating a gradual increase in radiologist’s acceptance, and integration, of AI across the US.?

AI to Improve DEXA Screening for Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis, that affects one in three women over the age of 50 globally and ?is often under diagnosed. One of the contributing factors is the absence of screening programs using DEXA machines. ?In a clinical trial named OPSCAN conducted at the National Defence Medical Centre in Taipei, Taiwan, researchers found that an AI algorithm can identify osteoporosis from chest X-rays. This can help identify high-risk individuals, leading to improved osteoporosis diagnosis rates through DEXA screening. The study showed that using AI the detection of osteoporosis was 11.2 times higher than the control group.?

AI Solution for Scoliosis Diagnosis?

In the ESSR 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting held in Lugano, Switzerland this month, Gleamer.ai presented a new poster for their BoneMetrics X-ray AI solution. The poster demonstrates Bonemetrics’ ability to determine the spinal curvature (Cobbs angle) used to diagnose and assess patients suffering from scoliosis. In addition to Bonemetric’s existing features (auto-measurement of feet, legs, pelvis/hips, and spine), the solution boasts high accuracy. By expediting time-consuming manual measurements to a standardised AI solution, both radiologist workflow, and potentially reliability, can be improved.?

Signify Research’s most recent reports include new analysis on the General Radiography and Fluoroscopy, Interventional and Surgical X-ray and Flat Panel Detectors. We will be publishing the following reports soon:

Breast Imaging Report in October 2024

Bone and Metabolic Health Report in November 2024.?

We welcome further conversations on the trends specifically impacting the markets highlighted.?

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