For all aspects of imaging, manufacturers have an eye toward streamlining workflow and improving image quality. New radiography and fluoroscopy solutions integrate automation and image enhancements while continuing to keep radiation dose low.

Mobile X-ray systems are incorporating more advanced applications and, on the detector side, equipment is getting lighter and providing higher-quality images.

Here is what’s new in radiography and fluoroscopy from several companies.

Carestream
Carestream recently launched its new Focus HD 35 and Focus HD 43 detectors. They feature a 100-micron pixel pitch that provides higher resolution for improved image details and allows for image magnification for better visibility of small objects and microstructures.

The pixel pitch is smaller than Carestream’s Focus 35C and 43C detectors. The new detectors are also lighter-weight and have a higher IP rating of IP56 for better protection against dust and fluid ingress. They are also competitively priced for facilities looking to upgrade to full wireless DR.

The detectors are compatible with a wide variety of DR systems and are also available as a retrofit solution.

“The Focus detectors present an ease of entry price into wireless DR technology and provide excellent image quality,” said Jill Hamman, worldwide marketing manager for global X-ray solutions at Carestream Health.

GE Healthcare
In August, GE Healthcare released the Definium 656 HD, a fixed X-ray system that comes with automation, assistive intelligence and advanced application, as well as what the company says is the fastest movement and highest weight capacity in GE Healthcare’s fixed X-ray portfolio.

“The system acts like a ‘personal assistant’ to help technologists deliver consistent, efficient and highly automated imaging exams that impart clinical confidence across the radiology department, while also improving overall patient experience by keeping workflow control in the room for healthcare providers,” said Tanya Lancaster, general manager for Global Fixed X-ray at GE Healthcare.

To minimize variability and improve diagnostic confidence, the Definium 656 HD includes 100 μm FlashPad HD detectors and the latest Helix 2.2 advanced image processing software with on-device artificial intelligence (AI).

“These advanced technologies combine to provide outstanding clarity and exceptional anatomical detail across 59 different image types, with anatomy-specific image enhancement regardless of variations in dose, patient positioning, field of view and metal,” Lancaster said.

The Definium 656 HD also features the Intelligent Workflow Suite which leverages 3D camera technology to help produce more consistent images and solve for common errors and inefficiencies within the imaging department. The suite includes Position Assist to help address positioning efforts, Technique Assist to help address poor image quality due to incorrect patient habitus and Patient Snapshot to help radiologists understand the ambiguities in the image due to imaging conditions.

In late 2021, the company launched its latest mobile offering, the AMX Navigate, that was launched in late 2021. It was tested in locations with extreme weather conditions, including the Mojave Desert and Kiruna, Sweden, one of the coldest places in the world.

FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation
In November 2021, FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation expanded its C-arm portfolio with the launch of the Persona CS mobile fluoroscopy system, a compact, lightweight system designed to provide enhanced live image guidance during a wide range of surgeries in the OR, including orthopedic, pain management and emergency procedures.

This past July, Fujifilm launched the FDR Cross, a wireless hybrid C-arm and portable X-ray solution designed for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The dual-function C-arm offers portable fluoroscopic imaging and radiographic imaging on a single platform, with what the company says is the world’s first pivoting tube coupled with a removable detector. It can run on battery power for up to eight hours.

Both systems feature a larger-than-typical C-arm opening to provide better spacing for procedures, and both weigh significantly less than typical systems, making them easier to position in tight spaces, said Rob Fabrizio, director of strategic marketing for diagnostic imaging at FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation.

“The Persona CS and the FDR Cross are built on latest DR detector technology to provide high-resolution real-time fluoroscopy images, allowing the surgeon to better visualize progress with minimal dose, at any point during the operation, and to immediately make any corrections that may be required,” Fabrizio said. “Since they are built on DR capture, these systems provide outstanding image quality for still X-rays, instead of having to use a lower-resolution last image hold. Also, since they are built on DR capture, the field of view is larger, allowing surgeons to see more with every view and not need to capture as many images.”

The Persona CS mobile fluoroscopy system is available with 21-centimeter by 21-centimeter or 30-centimeter by 30-centimeter amorphous silicon flat panel DR detectors that require about 30% less dose than traditional systems on the market, Fabrizio said. The system features a 27-inch touchscreen monitor and removable grid for low-dose applications.

JPI Healthcare Solutions
In 2022, JPI Healthcare Solutions released its new ExamVue Duo acquisition software for the company’s radiology equipment. ExamVue Duo streamlines technician workflow for busy clinics and imaging centers with touchscreen monitors, and also offers customizable tools for smaller clinics and private practices.

ExamVue Duo is also being incorporated into the company’s fluoroscopy solutions and upcoming CT and tomographic releases for 2023, including the Strixion Orthopedic Tomography system and CBCT systems.

KA Imaging
KA Imaging is preparing to introduce the Reveal Mobile System, which will be powered by the company’s patented SpectralDR technology in the Reveal 35C detector. The technology enables dual-energy subtraction.

“We are very excited as it will be the first fully integrated mobile system capable of providing not only high-quality digital radiographs but also spectral images of bone and soft tissue simultaneously,” said Robert Moccia, vice president of U.S. sales for KA Imaging. “With all the clinical benefits that are already associated with dual-energy subtraction, being able to offer it in a mobile solution is a great fit for the world's needs today.”

Previous technical limitations didn’t allow for dual-energy imaging on a mobile system, Moccia said. The SpectralDR technology now makes it possible, with energy separation taking place inside the detector.

Research has explored the clinical benefits of dual energy for a number of applications, including pneumonia and pneumothorax, finding line and tube tips and triaging for pulmonary nodules or coronary calcium.

“What we did is simply take dual energy to another level by increasing access, to a point where it can really become mainstream,” Moccia said. “We are in contact with radiologists and they are very optimistic about the new possibilities enabled by the SpectralDR technology in the ICU, in the emergency room and even in the operating room.”

Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas
Earlier this year, Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas introduced the mKDR Xpress Mobile X-ray System, which incorporates both the company’s Dynamic Digital Radiography technology, which visualizes anatomy in motion, and its new AeroDR Glassless High-Definition Flat Panel Detector.

The DDR technology uses algorithms to create a moving picture from a rapid acquisition of a series of radiographs.

“It’s the first detector that can actually do dynamic imaging wirelessly,” said Guillermo Sander, director of marketing and digital radiography for Konica Minolta Healthcare.

The glassless AeroDR detector is light, weighing in at 4 pounds.

“We kept the robust structure of the panel and we made it more ergonomic with channels for the technologist’s fingers for easier holding and use,” Sander said.

The company is also introducing a new traditional overhead X-ray system that can perform dynamic imaging.

“You can basically have dynamic imaging across the continuum of care for the patient regardless of location,” Sander said. “Having the technology available in many different configurations makes it easy for everybody to access it.”

LG
In April, LG released the 3MP IPS Diagnostic Monitor for radiology reading rooms. It is thinner and lighter than the company’s previous monitors and comes with lighting on the back of and underneath the monitor to help with visibility in the dark rooms.

The company also released a new line of detectors with a better IP rating than their previous generations. New detectors will also come equipped with an internal hot swap battery.

The detector comes in a 10-inch by 12-inch size for pediatric imaging, as well as 14-inch by 17-inch and 17-inch by 17-inch sizes.

LG also released Version 3 of its post-processing engines that has improved image processing featuring consistent X-ray image generation.

Philips
Recently, Philips announced that its CombiDiagnost DRF 7000 R, a remote-controlled fluoroscopy system in combination with high-end digital radiography, received 510(k) clearance from the FDA. The system is designed to improve room utilization in a cost-effective manner. The system combines a fully digital workflow, the company’s UNIQUE image quality and dose management for a wide range of examinations from pediatric to bariatric imaging. Together with the ProxiDiagnost DRF 7000 N, which is a nearby-controlled fluoroscopy system, the DRF 700 R complements the fluoroscopy capabilities.

Over the past year, Philips released a product in Europe called Philips Radiology Smart Assistant. The AI technology, which is 510(k) pending, works with Philips’ fixed radiography and fluoroscopy systems to deliver immediate feedback to the technologists on patient positioning and image quality. Solutions like Radiology Smart Assistant and the live camera in the radiography system DR 700 C help radiographers spend more time with the patient.

Philips also introduced the Lunit INSIGHT CXR to help prioritize reading lists and areas of interest starting with mobile radiography images for radiologists.

The Philips premium DR & DRF portfolio has a similar look and feel regardless of whether it is radiographic or fluoroscopic, which helps with staff training and user adoption.

"When technology works as a seamless extension of your skill set, first-time-right results become standard,” said Sascha Dauber, general manager for diagnostic X-ray at Philips. “Philips continuously innovates toward smart and intuitive workflows, which enables radiographers and radiologists to focus on the patient. Connecting data, technology, and people helps turn defining moments in the radiology workflow into a clear care pathway, with predictable outcomes for every patient. These smart workflow innovations improve throughput, reduce retakes, and increase return on investment.”

Siemens Healthineers
Earlier this year, Siemens Healthineers introduced the True2scale Body Scan feature for the Multitom Rax radiography/fluoroscopy system, which has been on the market since 2015.

True2scale performs full-body slot scanning using tomosynthesis, taking up to two panoramic images in one run with no stitching required and no distortion in the images.

Patients can be scanned while seated, standing or supine. The beam is tightly collimated with a low radiation dose, said Martin Pesce, X-ray product manager at Siemens Healthineers North America.

“You can do the whole body in 14 seconds,” Pesce said. “For orthopedic surgeons this is a big step up.”

There are also applications for severe scoliosis and surgical planning for spinal rods with the ability to image the spine in a weight-bearing position.

The technology was FDA cleared in August. Current customers will receive a software upgrade.