RSNA: Fujifilm offers a host of solutions for the future of womens healthcare

Fujifilm Medical Systems brought multiple new offerings for both women’s healthcare solutions, as well as its premium solutions to this year’s Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual conference in Chicago earlier this month.

Andrew Vandergrift, U.S. marketing manager of women’s healthcare imaging systems for Fujifilm, explained that the company’s theme for this year’s conference-“More than you imagined” – especially applied to the women’s healthcare segment.

Fuji introduced Aspire HD, its latest DR mammography system. Vandergrift said, “Our Aspire HD detector technology takes advantage of everything that the other vendors have used, but due to our direct to digital capture, we are able to reduce dose and image noise, which results in a very high image quality.”  The Aspire HD was released outside of the U.S. this year and is waiting on regulatory approval in the U.S.  “This detector set the platform for our future in advanced applications in 3D,” said Vandergrift.

Another new offering for women’s healthcare included a stereo digital mammography workstation, which similar to the detector, has yet to receive regulatory approval in the U.S. and is currently being utilized in clinical trials.

The workstation presents two exposures of the breast-separated by approximately six degrees-with one image on a top screen and the other on a bottom screen. The workstation allows for the presentation of the image to be done in 2D, or the viewer can wear polarized glasses to form a 3D view of the image. This method of viewing allows the physician to view masses, if any, and also determine where they are located inside the volume of the breast.

“The tough thing about a 2D mammogram is that the breast has complex, overlapping structures, which sometimes mimic pathology,” Vandergrift explained. “Then, a patient has to get called back. Many times, by repositioning the patient and doing another exposure, the radiologist sees there was no pathology there at all.”

Vandergrift also noted that when the workstation was utilized during a recent clinical study, there was found to be a reduced false-positive, or call-back rate of approximately 46 percent.

Also being showcased by Fujifilm was its expanded DR product line, which the company said is looking to help healthcare providers bridge to digital systems that may not have the funds to replace entire rooms.

The 6.5 pound Retrofit flat panel detector has a detachable cord, and requires no changes to any tables or chest upright, according to the company. Also, it can fit into existing workstations.

On the premium side, the FDR AcSelerate is a fully integrated room which uses direct flat panel technology with amorphous selenium.  The compound was utilized for this solution due to it’s “image quality properties, impressive dose efficiency and high contrast resolution,” said Fujifilm.

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