With the prevalence of chronic disease, a growing geriatric population, high patient awareness, and the introduction of advanced medical imaging systems and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), the medical imaging systems market is expected to grow through 2020, according to market research organization Hexa Research, Inc. An aging population becomes more susceptible to illness—especially chronic diseases, which accounts for the majority of deaths worldwide—and need to be diagnosed and treated with the help of medical imaging. The adoption of PACS, which stores and transfers medical images such as CT scans and X-rays, helps drive the growth of the market
Read More
Fukushima: Japan ends evacuation of Naraha as ‘radiation at safe level’
Recently, radiation levels in the Japanese town of Naraha have fallen to safe levels following decontamination efforts, allowing the town to lift the evacuation order on its 7,400 residents. Naraha was the first municipality to evacuate after the nearby Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered from an earthquake and tsunami that led to a meltdown and contamination. However, only about 100 of the nearly 2,600 households have returned since residents remain cautious about health concerns and lack of infrastructure. To accommodate their concerns, the town is running 24-hour monitoring at a water filtration plant, testing tap water for radioactive materials.
Read More
Radiation Safety at Fukushima Site
After a quarterly progress report from the independent Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that the company has made progress in processing highly contaminated water with only a small amount remaining to be dealt with. TEPCO was also able to seal the vertical shafts in the trenches, which were the source of some of the most significant leaks to the sea. As another measure of improvement, workers now only need to wear full face masks at 10% of the Fukushima Daiichi site because of the reduction in ambient radiation, the progress of general cleanup, and management
Read More
Long-Term Low-Dose Radiation Linked to Higher Leukemia Risk
Researchers found that high doses of radiation can cause Leukemia. However, in a new study, researchers found that long-term low-dose radiation exposure may also increase Leukemia risk. In this study, researchers followed 308,297 nuclear energy workers whose radiation exposures were monitored. At the end of the 27-year follow-up, about 22 percent of the workers died. Among them, 531 died from leukemia and 814 died from lymphoma. In the U.S., the average person’s yearly exposure to ionizing radiation increased from 0.5 mGy in 1982 to 3 mGy in 2006 largely due to medical exposures. The researchers also calculated that a worker’s
Read More
Real-Time Radiation Monitor Can Reduce One-Third of Radiation Exposure for Medical Workers
In a study sponsored by the North Texas Veterans Healthcare System, researchers found that medical workers significantly reduced their radiation exposure while administering cardiac catheterizations, a type of procedure that often involves X-rays or fluoroscopy, when a real-time radiation monitoring device with auditory feedback was used. Of the 505 patients who participated in the clinical study, half were randomly assigned to wear a device that beeped with increasing frequency—varying between once every 15 minutes, once every 20 seconds, and continuously—depending on the level of radiation it detected, while the other half went without the device. Medical workers in both groups
Read More
Electronic vs. Passive Dosimetry
Health physicist Neill Stanford of Stanford Dosimetry released a presentation examining the differences between electronic and passive dosimetry. Passive dosimeters such as film badge dosimeters and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) are typically used as the primary dosimeter to record the dose of legal record. With no immediate readouts or alarms, passive dosimeters must be sent to an accredited laboratory for processing in order to procure the dose of record. Electronic dosimeters not only provide immediate readouts and alarm options but also data logging, data upload, and access control. Real-time detection and measurement make electronic dosimeters especially useful in controlling doses, enabling them
Read More
Combined PET-MR: A Technology Becomes Mature
Researchers examine the use of combined PET/MR in their study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine run by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). With breakthroughs in finding new detectors to replace photomultiplier tubes (PMT) in traditional PET, such as avalanche photodiodes (APD), Geiger-mode APDs (AKA silicon PMTs or solid-state PMTs), and silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), tolerance to magnetic fields and time-of-flight PET scans became possible. X-Z LAB’s Basic Detector Module (BDM) | PET Detector Module utilizes this technology and enhances it with our patented multi-voltage threshold (MVT) algorithm. Although the researchers do not see combined PET/MR
Read More
The Lasting Effects of Radiation
It is interesting: without radiation, there would not be life on earth. With too much, like water or salt, the balance of life and death is precariously close. Four years after Fukushima1 was hit with a huge earthquake and resulting tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the local power plant, the public is still unable to return to normalcy. Personal radiation detectors like X-Z LAB’s RadPavise | Personal Radiation Detector (PRD) are able to help first responders and safety officers in situations in Japan. Not only are they able to detect the presence of radiation like traditional analog detectors do, but they also
Read More
Seven Trends in Medical Radiation Detection
Market research company NanoMarkets identified seven emerging trends in medical radiation detection. According to NanoMarkets, two-thirds of the market for radiation detection equipment is comprised of the medical and healthcare sector. Although this sector has a lower growth rate than others in the market, its sheer size makes it the market’s main revenue generator. NanoMarkets projects that growth within the sector will be primarily for X-ray and neutron systems, as the use of gamma ray imaging systems is on the decline in radiography. Below is a summary of the seven trends: Smaller, portable devices Devices aim for universality, or mobility
Read More
Comparison of Radiation Detectors
This chart offers a quick look at the differences in features of radiation detectors currently available. X-Z LAB uses YSO and SiPM in our products because of the clear advantages they carry over other detectors. Detector High Sensitivity High Energy Response Small Size Low Power Consumption Stable Performance Ionization Chamber Yes Yes No No Yes GM Tube No No Yes Yes Yes Semiconductor No Yes Yes No No NaI & PMT Yes Yes No No No YSO & SiPM Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Read More