by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | October 16, 2015
From the October 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
For mammography, photon counting enables micro-dose exposure, but comes at a higher cost. For CT, iterative construction software is starting to take off. Some experts anticipate that anode end grounded (AEG) X-ray tubes will become more common. AEG tubes (which are single ended, or unipolar) allow for considerably higher power than conventional (bipolar) tubes, with smaller size and less heat.
Another key benefit of AEG tubes is that there is less “off focal radiation,” which allows for a harder beam, or less electrons rebounding and striking the target at areas other than the focal point. Stopping those stray electrons from generating unnecessary photons means less heat is generated, less blur from misplaced radiation in the image, and less non-useful radiation hitting the patient.
CT systems are replaced in the interest of meeting new safety protocols, which means tube demand overall could go up, says Spees. To be compliant with MITA’s XR-29 standards, for example, an estimated one-third of the installed outpatient systems will need to be replaced. Funk points to the customers who are compliant with regulations and mindful of the bottom line, which has become increasingly important with health reform. “We see customers holding onto their current scanners longer which, in turn, will have a positive impact on replacement tube sales into the future,” she says.
X-ray tube in a
CT gantry at the
IMES testing facility
in Fort Mill, SC.
IMES is a division of
Richardson Healthcare.
More manufacturing in burgeoning markets?
As new markets emerge globally for X-ray tubes, those regions face tough decisions about building locally or importing. As Jonaitis points out, many countries do not like to see government funding going overseas and create regulatory barriers that make importation difficult. In some regions, an alternative might be to use government funding to create a domestic supply, but building X-ray tubes is no small task. Their production is a sophisticated process that does not lean heavily on manual labor (or create a flood of jobs).
Funk says it is more likely that existing X-ray tube manufacturers will expand either parts or full production capabilities in developing countries to be closer to those customers. Jonaitis points to Brazil, China and Russia as three countries where that prediction is already proving to be accurate. Much of the cost of X-ray tubes is derived from materials and overhead, but Spees says the technical barrier is the most significant. High-end CT tube manufacturing comprises competency in mechanical engineering and thermal management of stress and materials.
