PACS pushes European CR and DR uptake

Because input into a PACS is in digital form, the importance of digitisation of radiographic images has increased. According to Srividya Badrinarayanan, Healthcare Industry Manager at Frost & Sullivan, in the report Strategic Analysis of the Digitisation Initiatives in European Medical Imaging Markets, continuous price erosion and low adoption rates of PACS in some regions are key challenges to the growth of the computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) systems market in Europe.

Although countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France show keen interest in CR and DR technologies, in Spain, and parts of France, PACS has faced greater financial constraints. A lower radiation dose, superior image quality, and no manual labour, which increases patient throughput, has increased popularity for DR systems, thus reducing demand for CR systems. However, DR systems cost more, so, for medical cases needing fewer procedures, CR systems are preferred (particularly by smaller imaging centres and private physicians).

For 2005, the European CR systems market was valued at US$261.9 million. This is expected to reach $322.9 million in 2010. Although the market shows good growth potential in countries such as Spain, Italy and the UK, it has reached saturation in other large countries, e.g. France and Scandinavia, where CR systems are in more of a replacement market, the report points out. However, revenues in the European DR systems market were valued at $165.0 million in 2005 and could reach $318.6 million in 2010. Germany ranks top in the DR systems market with a 23% share of the total European market followed by Scandinavia (18%) and the UK (16%).
Full report details: http://healthcare.frost.com

01.03.2006

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