DOCTORS CHAMPION MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Hitachi Medical Corporation, one of Varian’s oldest and largest customers in Japan, was one of the first companies in the world to market real-time angiography and gastrointestinal imaging systems using PaxScan FPDs. Last year Hitachi Medical sold more such systems than any other company in Japan. “Almost 80 percent of these replaced older image-intensifier units on C-arm assemblies,” says Shigeyuki Ikeda, senior engineer at the Hitachi Research and Development Center. “We think that within a few years all image intensifiers will be replaced by FPDs.”

Japanese radiologists using Hitachi Medical systems list several reasons why flat-panel detectors have generated so much enthusiasm. “Patients feel more comfortable with a smaller unit during examinations,” explains Gen Iinuma, MD, PhD, a pioneer in digital radiography now at Japan’s National Cancer Center in Tokyo. “Also, FPDs make it easier to get close to the patient, which is important.”

“Current FPDs provide good image quality with high resolution in a wide latitude,” Iinuma adds. “We really like them, not only for these reasons, but also for their square shape, similar to X-ray films.”

The new Varian PaxScan 4030CB flat-panel display is now being designed into some of Hitachi Medical’s most advanced diagnostic equipment with advanced cone-beam CT technology. So named because of the cone-like volume of data that can be captured in a single 360-degree rotation around a patient, yielding a three-dimensional image of anatomy, the new systems offer advantages that image-intensifier technologies cannot match.

“CT scans give us three-dimensional views, but in angiography, body parts can get in the way, making it difficult to study the images,” says Saori Tanaka, MD, of Osaka City University Hospital. “It takes a lot of effort to eliminate such things as bones from an image, but it is relatively easy to do with an FPD.”

OTHER APPLICATIONS PROLIFERATE
Besides human medicine, other fields, including dentistry, nondestructive testing, and veterinary medicine, are seizing on the advantages offered by flat-panel digital radiography systems, such as being able to dispense with the time-consuming chemistry, cost, storage, and nuisance of film.

Dental applications. As appearance-conscious baby boomers swell the ranks of senior citizens, dentures are becoming a thing of the past and dental implants are becoming the biggest growth area in dentistry. Imaging Sciences International, Inc., leads this new market with its i-CAT cone-beam CT system for dental scanning and planning of oral surgical procedures. The company reports that, compared to its image intensifier–based competitors, the PaxScan-equipped i-CAT systems are smaller and thus better designed for space-constrained dental offices. Unlike image intensifiers, they don’t degrade over time, increasing the dose to patients; they’re considerably better at resolving small contrast areas; and their resolution doesn’t worsen near image edges.

“The question in dentistry today isn’t do you go digital but how do you go digital,” says Edward Marandola, Imaging Sciences vice president and general manager. “That’s where a flat panel is the answer, and that’s where Varian stands out with the best technology, a great R&D group, and the ability to maneuver and change quickly.”

Industrial applications. Hytec, Inc., Varian’s largest U.S. industrial distributor of PaxScan products, has different uses for each PaxScan model. “Besides being lightweight and fast, they all have good resolution and durability and long life expectancy,” says David Phillips, general manager of the Hytec Sensors and Imaging Group.

Hytec sells most of its systems to the U.S. government for nondestructive testing and inspection. Applications include inspecting missile components and solid-fuel rocket motors, and performing failure analysis of space shuttle components for NASA. “This inspection work still often uses X-ray film,” Phillips says, “but the government is buying our digital systems because they save time and are much less labor intensive.”

Other applications for Hytec systems include forensic inspection of suspicious objects, concrete and asphalt materials research at Washington State University, and dental appliance manufacturing for Align Technology. For Align Technology, Hytec developed a special FPD-based CT imaging system that simplifies manufacturing of the company’s popular Invisalign® clear plastic retainers for braceless orthodonture.

Veterinary applications. Digital radiography and picture archival and communications systems (PACS) like those offered by Sound Technologies are transforming the way veterinary offices work. Film-based clinics have to struggle with storing and sharing animal X rays, a big problem, since only 400 or so board-certified radiologists support 54,000 U.S. general-practice veterinarians.

Veterinarians clear the bottleneck with Sound Technologies’ turnkey digital radiography solutions. These include PaxScan-equipped TruDR™ radiographic systems for diagnostic imaging, VetPACS™ software for sending images via the Internet, and archiving services. Study images are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to a select group of board-certified specialists who respond within hours. In 2004, Sound Technologies will do 3,000 to 4,000 studies; in 2005, the company conservatively expects 24,000. Says Kevin Wilson, chairman and CEO, “With their solid technology, R&D, integration, and support, Varian allows us to create great products and bring them to market much faster and more cost-effectively.”

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