Digital radiology has helped enhance patient care to the next level. With the help of machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning algorithms, the field of radiology has made huge advancements over the years. In 2020, with the requirement of high speed workflow and effective patient management, the COVID-19 pandemic brought diagnostic imaging in the limelight. By using AI-aided X-ray interpretation, radiology professionals have fastened and enhanced the accuracy of the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Likewise, digital mobile radiography units have also been on a hype during the pandemic. This equipment helped doctors assess and determine the patients’ condition before sending them off to more advanced imaging techniques. In the meantime, several imaging centre groups in Europe and the U.S. have signed deals with VIDA Diagnostics. For instance, an advanced diagnostic and interventional radiology provider, named RAYUS Radiology, has collaborated with VIDA Diagnostics with an aim to address the challenges for imaging sites and enable them to participate in imaging based clinical trials.
Undeniably, the on-going technological advancements in X-ray imaging has improved diagnostic accuracy and reduced radiation dosages to a great extent. Digital radiology (DR) is an advanced method of X-ray inspection which uses X-ray sensitive plates to capture data directly while patient examination and portray the image instantly on a computer. With the help of a detector sensor, the incident X-ray radiation is converted into an identical electric charge and then to a digital figure.
Even though digital radiology is significantly more expensive than computed radiography (CR) technology, it has many advantages over CR. Digital radiology provide shorter exposer time, faster processing and diagnosis, improved detail detectability, extremely high image quality, and images that are easier to store & share with healthcare professionals. This is why, digital radiology is becoming the preferred choice for non-destructive testing operators. Digital radiology finds a wide array of applications such as Detection of Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) in oil, gas, & petrochemical, and power generation industries, aerospace product examination, foreign object detection, product and process development, inspection of composites and fiber reinforced components, detection of flow accelerated corrosion, and casting and weld inspection.
Types of digital radiography:
Several advancements made in the field of digital radiography include AI-aided X-ray interpretation, automatic image stitching, computer-aided diagnosis, dual-energy imaging, digital mobile radiography, tomosynthesis, and more. These advancements have not only improved image quality, but have also helped enhance patient care to the next level.
Over the years, the field of radiology has made huge advancements with the help of machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning algorithms. AI-aided X-ray interpretation is specifically used for chest radiography. By using this technology during the diagnose of COVID-19 patients, radiology professionals have fastened and enhanced the accuracy of the diagnosis and treatment.
Similarly, by using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, automatic image stitching puts together multiple smaller images to form a larger one that enables doctors to diagnose a disease in cases where a single scan does not provide an entire view of the area being investigated. The stitching of images can allow surgeons to do preoperative planning for surgeries.
Likewise, digital mobile radiography units have also been on a hype during the COVID-19 pandemic. This equipment helped doctors assess and determine the patients’ condition before sending them off to more advanced imaging techniques. It can easily be placed within tight spaces and between beds or other equipment. It has been widely used as a screening tool for assessing the lung conditions of COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, there has been a significant increase in the adoption of dual-energy imaging in the medical community. Dual-energy imaging is a type of advanced computed tomography (CT) can detect the iodine more clearly than a standard CT scanner, thereby producing more detailed images that can help improve diagnosis.
Continuing with the advancements in digital radiography, computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) is a form of digital radiography technology that is designed to facilitate diagnostic decisions by medical experts. CAD is commonly used in the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, bone metastases, coronary artery, and diabetic retinopathy. There are two types of CAD i.e. computer-aided detection (CADe) and computer-aided diagnosis (CADx).
Another advancement in digital radiography is tomosynthesis which can surge accuracy overall, especially when incorporated with conventional mammography. It plays an essential role in detection of breast cancer. It creates multiple images of the breast using both 2D and 3D-like pictures, thus help in detection of breast cancer in the early stages or even in patients not showing any symptoms.
Current market scenario:
According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global digital radiology market size is projected to reach $8.3 billion with a considerable CAGR from 2021 to 2030. The growth of the market is mainly attributed to sports related injuries, rise in number of chronic diseases, and surge in number of cancer patients. At the same time, senior citizens develop various age related disorders, which boosts the demand for variety of radiographic examinations and thus drives the growth of the global digital radiology market.
However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the growth of the market initially. It was due to the implementation of stringent lockdown, travel restrictions and social distancing norms which led to postponed all diagnostic imaging procedures, especially in the first quarter. But later, with the requirement of high speed workflow and effective patient management, the pandemic brought diagnostic imaging in the limelight, thereby boosting the demand for digital radiology systems. Many companies, at the same time, developed or adopted advanced products for diagnostic imaging to meet the surging demand.
Currently, North America is dominating the market with the highest market share, owing to technological advancements in the healthcare industry. In developed economies like the U.S. and Canada, healthcare settings are shifting from computed radiology based X-Ray systems to DR-based X-Ray systems, which is acting as a prominent factor to supplement the market growth. LAMEA, on the other hand, is anticipated to witness the highest growth rate, due to a considerable rise in investments in digital radiology.
With this drift on board, the key market players are focusing to offer new technologies to end customers, especially for C-arms and fluoroscopy devices, with an aim to stay competitive in the market. Manufacturers are focusing on enhancing qualities, including contrast, sharpness, and ability to inspect injuries in real time.
Initiatives by the major market players:
Reportedly, Carestream, a worldwide provider of medical imaging systems, is all set to continue its legacy of delivering quality medical imaging technology with the launch of new digital X-ray detectors while also enhancing its existing product portfolio at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago. These new digital X-ray detectors, i.e. Focus HD 35 and Focus HD 43, offer higher resolution with a 100-micron pixel pitch. The Carestream DRX-LC Detector is ideal for pediatric imaging and long-bone and spine images of people with limited mobility. This way, the company is likely to improve clinical outcomes and offer significant benefits to healthcare organizations and their patients.
Apart from this, Visage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pro Medicus, announced at the annual Radiological Society of North America meeting about the development of an adaptor for the AWS-built Amazon Health Lake Imaging technology. Reportedly, Amazon Health Lake Imaging works to help healthcare organizations automate processes for storing, examining and accessing medical imaging information on the cloud.
Moreover, Philips, a global leader in health technology, has made an announcement of its portfolio of smart diagnostic systems and transformative workflow solutions. Philips’ AI-driven MR Smart Speed is designed to increase image quality, speed, & productivity and enhance image resolution through the AI reconstruction algorithm. The company aims to advance diagnostic systems at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) by introducing the latest in AI-driven image clarification to help prioritize patient worklists on the basis of clinical results. The company is also focusing on its latest innovations in minimally invasive care with the company’s Smart CT 3D suite.
Furthermore, a world-class provider and market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and healthcare information technology, Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas Inc., recently launched new digital radiography solutions i.e. KDR Flex Overhead X-ray System. It is the advanced model of dynamic digital radiography (DDR) which was launched in 2020 by the company. This ultimate smart radiography system will continue to transform the clinical value of X-ray. It is very flexible and has the feature to be configured as a manual, semi-automated or fully automated system. Owing to its slim design, it can be easily moved and placed wherever it’s required.
In addition, the latest innovation by Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas Inc. include the AeroDR Glassless Flat Panel Detectors which are comparatively light weight because of unavailability of any glass substrate, only a thin film transistor (TFT) is present. It is durable & powerful and consists of an extraordinary high definition resolution at 100 µm and 200 µm.
Continuing with the trends of new product launches, Bayer has lately launched a next-generation app called Calantic Digital Solutions for X-ray, MRI and CT imaging that is based on artificial intelligence. It allows specialists to select from a wider range of apps that can also automate routine tasks and measurements. The cloud hosted platform consists of devices to help radiologists detect and evaluate infections, injuries, and diseases in images and select patients for treatment on priority basis.
Few more companies in different regions are adopting strategies like partnerships, collaborations, and joint ventures in order to stay competitive in the market. For instance, Northern Ireland in partnership with Sectra is looking forward to transform its health and social care diagnostic services with a new software system provided by Sectra, called NIPACS+. This new regional digital archiving system will allow healthcare providers and clinicians from across Northern Ireland to view any patients image in any hospital, regardless of location, thereby enhancing patients care to an extent. It will also support the development of diagnostic hubs and training facilities with a full sway.
In the meantime, several imaging centre groups in Europe and the U.S. have signed deals with VIDA Diagnostics. For instance, an advanced diagnostic and interventional radiology provider, named RAYUS Radiology, has collaborated with VIDA Diagnostics with an aim to address the challenges for imaging sites and enable them to participate in imaging based clinical trials. At the same time, VIDA launched an updated platform to boost the onboarding of clinical trial imaging operations.
Conclusion:
It is worth mentioning that digitizing radiography delivers numerous benefits to the provider as well as the patient. It is extremely essential to drive innovation in the field of radiology and broaden access to digital tools that can help address the growing demand for solutions and improve the speed and accuracy of diagnoses. To conclude, it can be stated that the global digital radiology market has started growing quite exponentially, and in the next few years to come, it would prosper even more.
