December 19, 2011 – The role of cardiovascular ultrasound in the catheterization laboratory has never been appreciated more than it is today. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) allows a multidisciplinary team of interventionalists and echocardiographers to replace a patient's diseased aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery, enabling a new and potentially life-saving method of treatment for inoperable patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.

December 16, 2011 — A new report from market research firm IMV Medical Information Division reveals the growth rate for interventional procedures being performed in U.S. angiography labs has fallen to 1 percent annually. Fewer sites are buying brand-new systems, and in coming years hospitals most likely will focus on replacing existing systems.

December 16, 2011 — Positron Corp. announced this week that on Dec. 12, 2011, its Attrius & Attrius L positron emission tomography (PET) scanners received approval for sale in Canada.

December 15, 2011 – Diablo Valley Oncology, an oncology practice in the San Francisco East Bay, recently administered its first breast intraoperative radiation treatment (IORT) using the Xoft Axxent eBx electronic brachytherapy system at Aspen Surgical in Walnut Creek.

December 15, 2011 – McKesson today announced the successful deployment of its market-leading medical imaging solution at the first four of 35 hospitals in Ireland as part of an exclusive partnership with the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE). Beaumont Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Sligo General Hospital and Waterford Regional Hospital are among the first to roll out McKesson's Horizon Medical Imaging picture archiving communications system (PACS) and radiology imaging system (RIS) as part of HSE's National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) initiative.

December 15, 2011 – Siemens Healthcare offers a new information source for anyone facing an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) or a nuclear medicine examination. At www.medicalradiation.com, medical journalists and Siemens experts provide patients and interested members of the general public with basic details regarding medical radiation – including the fundamentals of the physics involved, an introduction to imaging procedures and notes on minimizing radiation exposure. A glossary explains the most common technical terms in a succinct, readily comprehensible manner.

December 15, 2011 – Fujifilm Holdings Corp. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SonoSite Inc., a provider of bedside and point-of-care ultrasound technology, pursuant to which Fujifilm will acquire SonoSite for approximately $995 million (which includes amounts payable in connection with its convertible debt). The transaction was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.