Bhvita Jani, research manager, Signify Research, explains key trends and technology advances in the computed tomography (CT) market. She discusses some of the new technologies and trends to watch in CT and on the expo floor of the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.
The CT market saw a major boost from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many hospitals purchased additional systems. This led to CT market growth from about $4.1 billion in 2019 to $5.1 billion in 2020.
"CT is definitely a high-growth modality because we are seeing this universal shift in medical imaging to 3D imaging due its advanced clinical capabilities," Jani explained.
One of the key technology advances was the introduction of the first commercial photon-counting CT scanner, and more are expected to follow over the next couple years. Many expect this to be the way of the future in CT systems because it offers several advantages in improved image quality, lower radiation dose and built-in spectral CT capabilities.
"Photon-counting is a real gamechanger in the CT market," Jani said. "We are expecting to see a lot more traction in this area over the next few years."
Just over a decade ago, there was a big movement to adopt 64-slice CT systems as a standard work-horse system. Now that these systems are reaching replacement age, Jani said many are being replaced by higher slice systems with improved image quality, larger fields of view and new technologies to aid workflow and improve image quality.
Jani said another technology that will see a lot of adoption is artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of CT applications. This includes use for smart scheduling, automating CT protocols, new types of image reconstruction that provide higher image quality, speeding imaging workflows, image analysis and auto quantification. AI is also being used on the scanners to help better position the patient on the table to reduce the number of retakes.
"One thing we saw a lot of last year at RSNA 2021 was AI being used for smart protocoling or protocol suggestion," Jani said. "This means the system looks at the specific patient characteristics and scan dynamic factors are incorporated into the protocol to help reduce the scan time, and sometimes for contrast use as well."
She also noted the possibility of CT moving to cold-cathode X-ray tube technology in the next decade, if vendors can fix issues with fast tube burnout or reduce costs for tubes and make them easy and fast to replace.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com