During our activities in the pre-owned business, we always had to push hard to get detailed and reliable specifications of MRI, CT and PET/CT systems that were either sold by the OEM trade desks, by hospitals or by most brokers. And it was even more difficult if the system was located abroad. For companies without detailed technical knowledge of the above systems, it is quite impossible to get reliable and detailed specifications.

We think the solution to this problem would be to have an independent company evaluating the system to generate a detailed report with pictures of the system components and even check the outtake route for the system components. This would enable the buyer to get a better picture of the systems they are going to buy, including the expected expenses for the rigging of the system components and therefore a lot better chance to market.


DMN: What excites you most about the future of diagnostic imaging?
SH: The integration of different modalities such as PET/CT, which is already established and in particular PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI is something that I find very interesting. This technology can improve data quality, allow more accurate rendering of metabolic to structural data and improve patient throughput, as PET and MRI data can be collected simultaneously in the same scan session.

Another thing is the combination of hi-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) with MRI for MRI guided treatments such as bone pain palliative therapy, uterine fibroid ablation therapy or prostate cancer therapy.

DMN: What will the next generation of systems focus on in your opinion?
SH: I don't think that the race for higher field strength, stronger and faster gradients, more channels, more slices, etc. will continue as we have seen it in past years. Enhanced patient comfort such as gradient noise reduction systems and software-based improvements such as automated workflows might be the focus of future developments. The introduction of software assistants that will guide the radiographer through the scanning procedure and will help customize the examination on a patient level or software assistants for diagnosis support is something that will get more attention for next generation systems.

DMN: Anything else you would like to add about the company or your role?
SH: A lot of independent companies that deal with refurbished equipment would benefit from a neutral and experienced set up that helps them to deal with all the problems associated with these complex imaging systems. Supply and demand of refurbished tomography systems in Europe is increasing and very often systems from Europe are also interesting for U.S. or Asian customers. So there is a need for a qualified supplier of technical and warehouse services. Besides the consulting business we will therefore offer deinstallation and crating, warehousing storage, system staging, refurbishment and upgrading -- if requested.

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