MAY 12--According to a soon-to-be-released updated report,RB-140N Medical Imaging from Business Communications Company Inc. (Norwalk, CT; www.bccresearch.com), the overall US imaging-equipment and auxiliary-products market is estimated to be $7.9 billion in 2004 and is expected to grow at a 5.7% AAGR (average annual growth rate) reaching $10.4 billion by 2009. Medical imaging equipment includes five major imaging modalities: x-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. Several new modalities that are not yet in wide clinical use are discussed in the report but not included in these data.
This total market, which was estimated at $6.7 billion in 2004, is expected to reach $8.0 billion by 2009. The overall market for imaging equipment is expected to grow at a moderate AAGR of 3.7% through the forecast period, based on continuing improvement in price/performance and the introduction of new technologies that significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions.
The imaging equipment products whose sales are expected to grow most rapidly include computed radiography and direct digital radiography units, 64-slice CT scanners, 3.0-Tesla MRI scanners, multimodal SPECT/CT and PET/CT scanners, and hand-carried ultrasound units. On the other hand, products such as conventional radiography and fluoroscopy units, single-slice CT scanners, and gamma cameras will show low, or negative, growth in sales.
The fastest-growing category of the imaging market consists of computer systems that are used as adjuncts for disease detection and results archiving. These systems have the potential to make radiologists and technicians more efficient and, in some cases, to improve diagnostic quality. The market for picture archival and communications systems, which capture, store, transmit and display images, has, in the last several years, grown to the point where it is considered a "sixth modality." Currently estimated at $1100 million, this market is expected to grow at an AAGR of 14.9% to reach $2200 million by 2009. Computer-aided detection systems, which digitize, display, and analyze film images, also constitute a rapidly growing market.
