More than 1,623 papers will be presented, and 460 scientific posters, 1,230 educational exhibits, and 160 InfoRad exhibits will be displayed. An anticipated 60,000 attendees representing all stakeholders in radiology will be on hand for the annual ritual. The following pages offer a preview of some of the new technology that will be featured in the convention center exhibits, 710 at last count. Decisions in Axis Imaging News asked several radiologists and radiology executives to share some of the items on their shopping lists.

“I’ll be looking to see what is new with the use of ultra-small paramagnetic iron oxide particles. That’s a really hot topic for us to look at… There were some earlier results that were very encouraging, so I’ll be interested to see what the latest news on USPIOs is. And then the other thing I’m quite interested in as an emerging topic is 3T MRI scanning… We have struggled with optimizing our protocols to get really good imaging, so I’ll be interested to see what other people’s experience has been in the use of 3T, particularly for body and abdominal imaging.”

—Fergus Coakley, MD, associate professor of radiology and chief of abdominal imaging at UCSF

“I mostly focus on new technology. I’m doing three requests for proposals right now, so I’ll look at MR. I will look at interventional radiology systems and I will look at direct digital radiography systems, since those are the three pieces of equipment I’m getting ready to negotiate.”

—Sheila Sferrella, MAS, RT(R), CRA, FAHRA, administrator, Diagnostic Services, Lehigh Valley Hospital

“We’ll be looking at digital mammography and multi-detector CTs. We understand the vendors will have a 128 [slice] PET-CT. Those are the three items we are most interested in.”

—Robert E. Schaaf, MD, managing partner, Wake Radiology, Raleigh, NC

“[I will be looking at] virtual colonoscopy, 4D ultrasound, any new developments in imaging in PET-CT and SPECT-CT, orthopedic templating for PACS, and deployment of electronic imaging in the operating room, in particular. Also I’m interested in the noninvasive procedure in uterine fibroids, educational stuff, reimbursement issues, newly developing technologies, wireless technology, and where we are going with that, and high field 3T MR.”

—Gerard Durney, MBA, FAHRA, administrative director, radiology, Lenox Hill Hospital

“We will be looking for the latest developments at 3T MRI, as well as more open 1.5T MRI; cardiovascular imaging software for CT and MRI; and enhancements for improving patient comfort and examination speed in MRI.”

—David Bluemke, MD, MRI subspecialist at Johns Hopkins University

Agfa, Ridgefield Park, NJ, will introduce IMPAX Enterprise, a health care IT workflow solution addressing enterprise needs through an integrated image and information management solution. IMPAX Enterprise combines IMPAX PACS 6.0, IMPAX RIS, SMMS, IMPAX Reporting, and IMPAX Auditing and Integration Services. Designed to lower health care cost delivery, IMPAX Enterprise is intended to enable workflow efficiency. Users will have access to data by connecting to the system with a Web browser over PCs, PDAs, and cell phones. Visit Agfa at South Hall A, booth 2679. (800) 581-2437; www.agfa.com .

CoActiv Medical, Ridgefield, Conn, offers no-charge Modality Worklist Service RIS/HIS integrations with their EXAM-PACS® Enterprise PACS solution. CoActiv will provide DICOM Modality Worklist services on a no-charge basis for RIS/HIS/EXAM-PACS integrations when the HIS or RIS cannot provide this service. CoActiv also announces its enhanced brokerless HL-7 capabilities providing bidirectional HL-7 interfacing to virtually any HL-7 capable application at reduced costs to clients. Visit CoActiv at North Hall B, booth 6429. (877) 262-2848; www.coactiv.com .

Dynamic Imaging, Allendale, NJ, announces IntegradWeb® RIS/PACS, an integrated, single-desktop RIS/PACS featuring end-to-end Web-based workflow from scheduling through billing, with document management and digital dictation. The single user interface will help accelerate turnaround time for radiology interpretation, and help manage repayment claims. It is scheduled for wide release in early 2006. Visit Dynamic Imaging at South Hall A, booth 5150. (888) 303-7227; www.dynamic-imaging.com .

FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Stamford, Conn, introduces advancements made to its Velocity™ line of DR readers. Using LineScan technology, the FCR Velocity-U pushes the advantages of storage phosphor technology. The compact, upright reader features near immediate image previewing with a throughput of 240 images per hour. Visit Fuji at North Hall B, booth 7157. (800) 431-1850; www.fujimed.com .

GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, has launched Rediflo™ prefilled cartridges available with the x-ray contrast agent Omnipaque™ injection. A key feature of the Rediflo cartridge design is the FluiDot™ technology developed by MEDRAD, Indianola, Pa. FluiDot is an elliptical-shaped optical indicator printed on the label to denote whether the cartridge is empty of contrast. Rediflo features peel-off tracking labels, allowing users to label patient charts with information about the contrast agent being administered. Visit GE Healthcare at North Hall B, booth 7714. (800) 643-6439; www.gehealthcare.com .

IBM, Armonk, NY, is releasing the Express Storage Platform for Medical Imaging (MI Express), a scalable, prebundled archive infrastructure. MI Express stores imaging data for retrieval by PACS applications. The system is designed as an infrastructure platform for an IBM Business Partner Medical Imaging solution. Visit IBM at South Hall A, booth 4165. (800) 426-4968; www.ibm.com .

iCAD, Nashua, NH, announces the TotalLook™ next generation imaging solution. A film-to-digital system converts film mammograms into digital format for comparison with the most current images taken from digital mammography systems. TotalLook retrieves and receives patient information from HL-7 or DICOM worklists, tracks and labels records in DICOM format, and displays high-resolution digitized images in any hanging protocol. Visit iCAD at North Hall B, booth 8550. (877) iCADnow; www.icadmed.com .

InSiteOne, Wallingford, Conn, announces a data migration service for data management and security as part of its InDex digital medical imaging archiving service. In partnership with DeJarnette Research Systems Inc, Towson, Md, to address technical hurdles and cost constraints associated with the transition of multiple archives, the InSiteOne InDex migrates information from a site’s existing archive to an InSiteOne permanent on-site/off-site archive and disaster recovery service. Visit InSiteOne at South Hall A, booth 2774. (800) 441-0091; www.insiteone.com .

Konica Minolta, Wayne, NJ, announces the DRYPRO 793 dry laser imager, designed for mammography applications. Delivering up to 4.0 Dmax and 25 micron resolution, DRYPRO 793 also features a 120 film per hour capability, an intuitive color touch-screen user interface with Web access, three film-drawer capability, optional six-bin sorter, up to 16 input DICOM ports and 8×10 or 10×12 film size capacity for mammography. Visit Konica Minolta at South Hall A, booth 3545. (800) 934-1034; www.medical.konicaminolta.us .

ODS Medical, Minneapolis, announces V2.3 for its PACScomm™ CD/DVD Image Recording System. V2.3 adds the ability to span reports across multiple media, supporting both CD and DVD spanning, as well as adding support of DICOM structured reports with the capability of including the reports to the recorded CD content. Visit ODS Medical at South Hall A, booth 4916. (800) 622-8732; www.odsmedical.com .

Neurostar Solutions, Atlanta, introduces its Virtual Radiology Community Web site, a platform for sharing imaging services, resources, and information for users of its Virtual Radiology Network. The site offers a subportal for imaging businesses looking to outsource reading and a similar area for off-site reading service providers to connect. The site will also make available radiology articles, surveys, user forums, and bulletin boards focusing on radiology topics from multiple perspectives. Visit Neurostar Solutions at South Hall A, booth 8201. (866) 809-4746; www.neurostarsolutions.com .

Philips, Andover, Mass, introduces the HD11 XE ultrasound system. With a flat panel monitor, enhanced ergonomics, and a cardiology package, the HD11 XE provides cross applications for radiology and cardiology. QLAB quantification software allows users to improve diagnostic capability with a non-invasive assessment of cardiac anatomy and function, including strain quantification using tissue doppler imaging, automated intima media thickness measurements, and region of interest quantification. Visit Philips at South Hall A, booth 1129. (800) 722-7900; www.medical.philips.com .

Planar, Waltham, Mass, announces Dome E4c, a 4 MP color, wide-screen, High-Bright bezel-less diagnostic display. Color applications include 2D color images, image fusion, and 3D reconstruction. The Dome E4c is in full DICOM conformance, and features automatic calibration and remote monitoring/maintenance. Its 30-inch screen and 4 MP resolution create a 25% larger landscape image than a 3 MP display. Visit Planar at North Hall B, booth 8308. (800) 722-7900; www.planar.com .

TeraRecon will demonstrate new features, tools, and workflow enhancements for Aquarius Workstation 3.5. Cardiac features include soft plaque quantification, cardiac MR, and left atrium characterization for pulmonary vein ablation planning. For endovascular, new, complete 3D stent-graft planning tools debut. Workstation applications can be reviewed from the AquariusNET thin-client system. Visit TeraRecon at South Hall A, booth 4100. (650) 372-1100; www.terarecon.com .

Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, Pa, introduces the Symbia® product family, a platform that incorporates TruePoint SPECT-CT. The Symbia platform’s flexible, scalable system architecture allows Siemens to offer a variety of models within the Symbia family, including multi-slice CT configurations with speeds of up to 0.6 seconds per rotation to enable users to obtain an accurate, anatomically precise SPECT-CT study. Visit Siemens at South Hall A, booth 4337. (888) 826-9702; www.usa.siemens.com/medical .

S&S Technology, Houston, introduces the OR PACS Cart designed to view radiological images on a compact mobile platform. The cart accommodates either one or two 21-inch flat panel monitors on a 26-square-inch footprint. The Q-Pack battery solution and a wireless option allow for more mobility. The large cart enclosure allows for internal storage of a full-size CPU in a protected environment. Visit S&S Technology at South Hall A, booth 1815. (800) 231-1747; www.ssxray.com .

Swissray, Elizabeth, NJ, introduces the ALLinONE-Stand for all of its ddR systems. The stand allows users to perform DR applications, such as scoliosis and long leg studies, as well as weight-bearing examinations. The ALLinONE-Stand collects data, including weight and height, and transmits the information using a wireless Bluetooth connection. Visit Swissray at South Hall A, booth 2718. (800) 903-5543; www.swissray.com .

Toshiba, Tustin, Calif, introduces the Xario™ ultrasound system. Xario features 4D imaging, ApliPure real-time spatial and frequency compound technology, pulse subtraction harmonics, multi-frequency transducer technology, multi-planar, volume rendering, and fast fusion 3D, as well as all seven DICOM service classes. Visit Toshiba at North Hall B, booth 7114. (800) 421-1968; www.medical.toshiba.com.