The cardiovascular imaging market can breathe a sigh of relief. The Centers forMedicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced it isreconsidering its proposed national coverage decision (NCD) that wouldhave drastically limited patient access to cardiac computed tomographyangiography (CCTA). A decision had been expected from the agencytomorrow.

The United States is the largest market for nuclear medicine equipmentworldwide, worth an estimated $1.2 billion in 2007, with gamma camerascarving out an $800 million piece of the pie, according to a reportfrom Global Industry Analysts (GIA), a San Jose, Calif.-based marketresearch firm.

QuantRx Biomedical, a diagnostics company, and FluoroPharma, a companydeveloping breakthrough cardiovascular molecular imaging agents for thePET market, presented positive Phase I safety results for CardioPET.

NuView Radiopharmaceuticals has executed an exclusive license agreementwith the University of Southern California (USC) that provides NuViewwith the development and commercialization rights to a taggedderivative of the naturally found biological molecule adenosine, calledF-18 FXA, for potential use as a diagnostic cardiac PETradiopharmaceutical in clinical trials.

The FDA has granted 3mensio Medical Imaging a 510(k) clearance to market the 3surgery vascular imaging (VI) software.

As cardiology evolves, one crucial subspecialty may be growing in demand far beyond the industry’s present ability to provide highly trained, dedicated technicians: electrophysiology.

Cardiac cath labs operate in an increasingly challenging environment, contending with a variety of clinical, demographic, regulatory and competitive factors.

Recent trial results, multidetector CT and new and more uses for the services and equipment of the traditional cardiac catheterization lab are impacting the bottom line of facilities across the country. These and more factors may have temporarily decreased cath lab procedures, but experts in the field predict recovery—albeit a changing face for the cath lab.