Trends-in-Medicine


 
Publisher:  Stephen Snyder
  
Writers:  Lynne Peterson
 Marta Weber
 Diana Woods
  
Editors:  Kathleen Snyder
 Betty Teel
 


Trends-in-Medicine has no financial connections with any pharmaceutical or medical device company. The information and opinions expressed have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed to be reliable and in good faith, but no liability is assumed for information contained in this newsletter.

Copyright©  2010
No articles may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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January 2010 Issues

International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) -- Quick Pulse

Summary: Coverage of this meeting hits only a few key areas: uterine fibroid embolization, patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure for stroke, brain stents for stroke, and peripheral atherectomy. Twenty doctors were interviewed: 13 interventional radiologists, 3 interventional cardiologists, 2 interventional neuroradiologists, 1 neurosurgeon, and 1 endovascular surgeon.

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

Summary: Hospital budgets are likely to remain relatively frozen through 2010, especially until there is more clarity about what healthcare reform will mean for imaging reimbursement, and replacement cycles are being stretched. When monies are freed for new technology, it is mostly PACS, dual energy or 64-slice CT, or a new MRI. ♦ In this tight environment, companies are stressing radiation dose reduction strategies, workflow improvements, upgrades, tiered pricing, and financing options. Among the large vendors, Toshiba appears to be gaining traction. ♦ Digital mammography is continuing to grow, but the pace has slowed. 3-D mammography may still be a year or more away from FDA approval, and industry is concerned about FDA study requirements related to use in screening. When it is approved, it is expected to ramp up very slowly due to cost, reading time, and storage issues. ♦ The radioisotope shortage is likely to continue through at least the first half of 2010. There are substitutes, but radiologists aren’t thrilled with most of them, so the main strategy is dose reduction and test avoidance. ♦ There is no new killer technology in MRI, CT, or PET that is likely to make hospitals open their pocketbooks, but dual energy CT is attracting some attention.

 
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