"We definitely have an evaluation going now from the analog to the DR world with our products. When we see the market move, we respond to the market needs and with movement going at a much faster pace, we are positioning ourselves to be in the DR portable environment," says Rich Fabian, vice president of X-ray North America for Philips. "Our first goal is to have something in the next trade show at the end of the year. If actions and desires come together, we will have something to talk about by then."

Greg Neukirch, national vice president of sales for general X-ray at Philips believes that the portable market is very healthy right now.


"It's one worthwhile investing in and providing resources to," he says. "The trend has been going on for a while. The flat plate detector is really the key piece. The quality, the speed, the efficiency, going in from that to a wireless component, to get the data back quicker to the radiologist."

Although he wouldn't reveal what their new products would look like, Neukirch did say that the company is investigating the benefits of wireless DR as opposed to other DR units and that Philips is very sensitive to the issue of cable versus non-cable and wireless capabilities.




According to Frank Serrao, marketing manager at Shimadzu Medical Systems, USA, wireless and detachable DR flat panels are attracting the main buzz in the radiology community today.

"Detachable DR panels are panels, which are tethered either to a mobile or a fixed unit, but can be disconnected and switched on the fly," he says. "For example, a full size 14" x 17" panel can be swapped out with a smaller pediatric DR panel without turning off the equipment and rebooting the system."

With wireless panels, data communication is either transmitted from the panel to the base (distance limited) wirelessly, or after images are taken, the panel is plugged into a base for both recharging and data dumping before its next use.

Shimadzu is currently focusing on higher power mobile units to allow for DR imaging to both geriatric and pediatric patients, in which breathing could be erratic.

"[Top priorities are] the integration of the new detachable and wireless DR panels, as well as end-user feature-friendly operations to make the systems as simple to operate in today's stressful imaging department environments," Serrao says. "We also continue to develop products and processes to help in the 'greening' of our world."

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