"Digital imaging enables faster throughput, which allows the facility to schedule more patients or handle its existing throughput in less time," Hurlock says. "It eliminates the costs of film processing, and storage, which are large per procedure expenses. While the capital cost of digital equipment is higher, the cost per procedure will be much lower."

Not that you should start worrying about the intensifiers becoming obsolete. Image intensifiers still have some traction in very cost sensitive X-ray applications, so their survival really depends on how quickly the flat detector manufacturers can hit a price point to displace all image intensifiers and minimize the additional cost for going digital.


"Workflow is improved and there are several other advantages to going digital so flat detectors don't have to hit the exact price point of an image intensifier for most to switch," Kuehn says. "Dunlee will continue to help customers who would like to keep their existing equipment in use, with high quality and cost effective solutions for replacing their image tubes. We cover all major brands of equipment and most sizes and replacing an image tube that has been in service for several years will dramatically improve image quality, without making any other modifications to the equipment."

There will also be a replacement market for image intensifiers that continues for the next 5 to 10 years for existing systems in the field.

Managed Medical Images has seen a rise in the number of remanufactured image intensifiers they sell, and are upgrading them with better cameras.

"Existing image intensifiers are all going to soon be equipped with CCD cameras and this transition is causing upgrade cost challenges, which the clients hope will be offset by the increased efficiency of almost-instant image retrieval," says Ed Ruth, President of the Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based company. "Image intensifiers are mounted on a Spot Film Device and the SFDs are being digitized using digital imaging plates. So the challenges are both with the cost and with deciding which digital technology best fits the clients' needs."


The CCD cameras offer a much better image and since they are digital, they allow you to upgrade further in the future.

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