X-ray detectors are continuing to go the way of the smartphone and other consumer electronics. They are getting lighter, easier to handle and more durable, while impressing with high-quality images.

Here are the new detector offerings from several companies.

Agfa
New detectors from Agfa include the DR 14e and DR 17e, which will join last year’s release of the DR 14s. Agfa has introduced this new product line for retrofits “to help our dealer channels and customers that are looking at price and specifications versus the best possible dose efficiency and dose reduction,” says George Curley, senior sales marketing manager for digital imaging at Agfa. "In many cases we can still reduce dose quite a bit. This is where MUSICA steps in.”


The retrofit detectors include 14-inch-by-17-inch and 17-inch-by-17-inch detectors that can be used wirelessly or tethered. There is also a 10-inch-by-12-inch detector that is a work in progress, with a planned release in the first quarter of 2018.


Canon
Canon recently previewed three DR detectors at AHRA in Anaheim, Calif., in July.

The lightweight detectors, the CXDI-710C Wireless digital detector and CXDI-810C Wireless digital detector, have many design and functionality changes, including more rounded corners, tapered edges and built-in notches for handling and positioning. They are also IPX7-rated for water resistance.

The detectors are some of the lightest on the market, says Lori Webb, product line adviser for Virtual Imaging, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon USA.

“Our 14-by-17-inch panel is over 2 pounds lighter than the previous generation,” Webb says.

The detector batteries can either be charged in a Canon battery charger or in the new CXDI docking station, which will cut at least 20 minutes off overall charging time, Webb says.

The detectors also have drop and shock detection and reporting that provides information about the incident to the CXDI Control Software NE workstation. It will also provide that data if the detector is turned off, as long as there is a battery within the detector. The panels also have on-board image storage of up to 99 images used in a stand-alone mode, for emergency downtime situations, or in a PC-less scenario.


The detectors can be used for CR to DR upgrades and can also be integrated with Virtual Imaging’s RadPRO systems.

“Canon has consistently kept its finger on the pulse of the DR market,” Webb says. “Continual generations of the design and functional improvements not only benefit the patients, but the end user as well.”

Fujifilm
Fujifilm is releasing pediatric detectors and mobiles incorporating its D-EVO II Cesium Iodide detectors.


The exposure menus of the workstations are tailored based on specific detector efficiencies and pediatric exam menus, explains Rob Fabrizio, director of marketing and product development for digital X-ray at FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc.

“It helps techs learn and adapt to and learn the proper techniques for pediatrics,” Fabrizio says. “A lot of users have a tendency to revert to traditional CR techniques when converting to DR.

“There are a lot of requests, especially from the children’s hospitals. They are much more focused on dose than the general X-ray population, and for a good reason. There was an obvious need from our customers to have specialized products instead of buying standard general X-ray packages.”


Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta has launched a new wireless flat-panel digital detector. Called the AeroDR HD, the detector can switch from high definition 100-micron, ideal for imaging smaller body parts, such as hands, to high dynamic range 200-micron, which helps visualize depth/definition in images of complex bone and soft tissue such as the abdomen, chest, spine and hip.

“It adds a lot of utility,” says Guillermo Sander, DR senior marketing manager for Konica Minolta. “ER doctors like it. Most, if not all, of our improvements are customer-driven.”

Last year, the company announced a 14-inch-by-17-inch detector for AeroDR HD and this year at RSNA it’s coming out with a 10-by-12-inch detector for neonatal or extremity imaging and a 17-inch-by-17-inch detector for imaging larger anatomical areas.


RadmediX
RadmediX recently began offering its Acuity 10-inch-by-12-inch Cesium Iodide and Gadolinium Oxysulfide wireless DR detectors.

The detectors weigh just over four pounds and are 76 microns, with the highest resolution and lowest pixel pitch of any 10x12 detector, says Matt Chrisovergis, an operating partner at RadmediX.


“The resolution is phenomenal,” Chrisovergis says. “Most mammography panels have a very low pixel pitch. This theory is already supported in the general mammography market.”

The panels come with what Chrisovergis says is the industry’s first wireless charging system, similar to the Apple iPhone X released Nov. 3.

“In a busy environment, you only have a certain number of batteries,” Chrisovergis says. “In-between patients you can dock it on the wireless charging station. Everyone else’s detectors have to charge the battery itself. In our application, you can charge the detector itself as well as the additional battery. You don't have to be constantly mindful of your battery’s remaining charge life."

Users can also press a button to show LED battery life without turning on the panel or software.

The detectors also come with Smart Switch technology, which gives the panel the ability to communicate with multiple workstations, such as a desktop workstation or a tablet.

“If somebody wanted to take [the] same detector and do neonatal work from a standard rad room, they could switch the channel on the panel and allow it to communicate on a portable tablet,” Chrisovergis says.

RadmediX’s main market for the 10-inch-by-12-inch detector is orthopedic surgeons who specialize in treating extremities, such as hands, podiatrists and neonatal specialists who require imaging of fine detail.


Rayence
At this year’s RSNA, Rayence will be showing off its new C-Series Cesium Iodide and Gadolinium Oxysulfide wireless detectors with a 140-micron pixel size that company representatives say uses less radiation dose without sacrificing image quality.

“What that allows us to do is to be more dose efficient,” says Bill Nicholas, director of corporate marketing and communications at Rayence. “With the lower dose that the detector requires, we are not sacrificing image quality.”

The detectors also come with tapered, recessed edges and a backing that allows for easier handling. Similar detectors released last year at RSNA had the same design but a 127-micron pixel size.

The company's primary market is outpatient imaging services including orthopedists, chiropractors, podiatrists and urgent care facilities.

“Minimizing dose is always something that’s key,” Nicholas said. “We knew we had to move in that direction.”

Varex Imaging
Aside from releasing several new detectors in the last year, Varex Imaging has undergone a few changes, officially spinning off from Varian Medical Systems in January and completing the acquisition of PerkinElmer’s imaging business in May.

In the last 12 months, Varex and PerkinElmer have had detector releases in both the premium and value tiers. The products are now being marketed and sold under the Varex banner.

“If you look at the detector portfolio there really was not a lot of overlap and it was very complementary,” says Brian Giambattista, general manager of X-ray detectors for Varex.

Last year, the company released premium versions of its 10-inch-by-12-inch and 14-inch-by-17-inch detectors in the XRpad series. The 100-micron detectors have fast image readouts that support advanced applications such as tomosynthesis.

There were also value-tier fixed and wireless detectors released, with a fixed 4343RV3 17-inch-by-17-inch detector and the wireless 4336WV4 14-inch-by-17-inch detector.

“In this particular segment, the key features are what customers want,” Giambattista says of the value product. “Here, they don’t necessarily want the highest resolution available, but one that has good enough image quality at a low cost, with reliable, solid performance.”

The new releases also included fixed and portable cassette-sized detectors, including the fixed 4343RV3 17-inch-by-17-inch detector, which is being marketed to hospitals, urgent care centers, doctor’s offices and small clinics.

New detectors were also released for the radiography and fluoroscopy market, including the premium 4343RF, with continuous fluoroscopy captured at a frame rate of 15 frames per second, and the value 4343DXV, with continuous fluoroscopy captured at a frame rate of four frames per second.


Vieworks
In February, Vieworks received FDA clearance for its VIVIX-S 1417N, its 14-inch-by-17-inch flat panel detector for general radiography

Joseph Choi, strategic marketing team leader for Vieworks, says that Anytime, Vieworks' automatic exposure detection (AED) feature, which takes away the need for a cabled connection between the X-ray system and a generator, helps set the detector apart from the company’s competitors.


“Anytime is well recognized for superior AED performance in the industry as high reliability and high sensitivity without compromising [image] quality compared to [a] DR line trigger,” Choi says.

Anytime uses a separate AED trigger sensor, and the VIVIX-S 1417N does not create artificial defects as the whole of the flat panel detects X-ray signal to create images, Choi says. Anytime is also highly sensitive to the X-ray dose, sensing doses as low as 10 nanogray, still providing high-quality images.

The VIVIX-S 1417N is the first Vieworks detector to use Near Field Communication (NFC), which allows for quick and easy configuration, so clinicians don’t have to struggle with complicated settings when they use it in multiple X-ray rooms, Choi says. Clinicians can also swap batteries without turning off the detector.

The VIVIX-S 1417N is also dust and water resistant, has enhanced durability with low maintenance costs and offers faster wireless communication, allowing for quicker throughput for mid- and high-tier hospitals. It can also be used as a CR to DR retrofit.