India is also home to some medical firsts. Shrinivas Desai, with Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, said his institution performed the first complete ablation of a prostate tumor using MR-guided focused ultrasound. This technique involves mapping the tumor's location with MRI, while using a transducer housed beneath the scanning table to heat up the tumor with high-intensity focused ultrasound energy, destroying the malignant tissue.

Only about six of the 150 or so patients at his hospital that have been treated with the technology underwent prostate tumor ablation (most were treated for uterine fibroids). Still, he foresees a wide application of the technique, with interest especially high for neurological lesions.


"This is what's going to take the world by storm," he said.

Cyclotron gap

Still, even with its rapid growth, India's radiology sector -- and health care industry as a whole -- has a way to go. Health care spending takes up about 5.2 percent of India's GDP, Bhardwaj said. In the U.S., however, it's about 17 percent, according to Department of Health and Human Services figures from 2009.

For instance, Majahan, discussing the fortunes of PET-CT in his country, noted a relative lack of access to FDG to make PET tracers in India, caused in part by poor travel conditions and a dearth of cyclotrons: there are only about 14 cyclotrons in India, with 7 involved in distribution, he said.

"Although there seems to be rapid growth, for the needs of the country, we're not growing fast enough," he said.

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