• CompuMed(Los Angeles), a medical informatics company serving the healthcare community with diagnostic software solutions, said it presented at the recent Society for Computer Applications in Radiology meeting in Orlando, Florida, results of a clinical study comparing its digital S-ray OsteoGram against its standard film S-ray OsteoGram. The results affirm that the digital version assesses Bone Mineral Density (BMD) more efficiently than the standard X-ray version, with comparable reliability and image quality. The study’s DICOM BMD results were found to correlate highly with the standard film-based system, which has been used successfully for nearly 10 years to diagnose osteoporosis for more than 140,000 patients worldwide. Over that time, the film-based OsteoGram has developed a reputation as an accurate, low-cost bone density test. The newer DICOM OsteoGram uses a digital image derived from filmless X-ray equipment to enable clinicians to perform accurate and precise osteoporosis testing. As a result, the DICOM OsteoGram can provide a similar result as a standard X-ray, but more quickly and at a lower cost.

• Cordis Endovascular (Warren, New Jersey), a division of Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company, reported the U.S. availability of a new hydrophilic-coated catheter, Tempo Aqua. The diagnostic catheter is designed to provide physicians with better handling during complex, difficult-to-maneuver catheterization procedures. The Tempo Aqua catheter can be used in selective catheterization, Carotid angiography and chronic total occulsion cases and in emerging procedures such as uterine fibroid embolization and subintimal angioplasty. The Tempo Aqua catheter has a three-layer tip construction in which the radiopaque tungsten tip material is embedded between two nylon layers, which helps to minimize the potential for clotting and biocompatibility problems while maintaining the integrity and strength of the tip. Tempo Aqua products are available in 4 Fr and 5 Fr sizes, a variety of lengths up to 125 cm and a full range of shapes.