Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

Selling, inspecting, buying, servicing- there are a number of reasons to access the X-ray tube usage information on a CT scanner. Coincidentally, there are also a number of ways to measure that usage. Below, we’ll discuss three CT tube usage metrics you’re likely to run across and exactly what they mean for the tube in question.

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If you've searched this topic, then you probably already know: Demand for MRI scans for veterinary diagnosis has never been higher, and it's only going up. And we don't mean just for large animals, or exotic animals, or purebred show animals that represent significant sums of money. More and more, veterinary customers are asking for high-level imaging of the family dog or kitty cat.

Still, even with demand rising, an MRI machine is a significant capital investment. So, how is a veterinarian to know when they should take the leap and make an MRI purchase? Below, we share three indicators for veterinarians that it might be worth their while to bring an MRI machine into their practice.

An important piece of research for any imaging equipment project is finding your options for service and building a budget forecast for your system's ongoing upkeep. As the title of this article suggests, we'll be focusing on the latter. Before we get into the average price ranges on the market, we'll walk you through the factors that often play a hand in determining the actual amount a prospective service provider quotes a customer. Knowing more about these will help you manage your expectations as well as simplify your conversations with providers.

Doing your homework on your next CT scanner? Digging up replacement parts for your current system? In either case it pays to know what you should expect when it comes to using, buying, and replacing your CT scanner tube. For those of you looking into GE systems from the BrightSpeed Select series, the tube you'll need to learn about is the MX165, AKA Solarix 350. There are several versions, so keep reading to find out about compatibility, how long you can expect your MX165 tube to last, and how much you can expect to pay when the time comes to replace it.

Anyone considering the purchase of an MRI machine should know that a healthy cooling system is essential to the maintenance and performance of their magnet. This means, among other things, keeping an eye on your helium level and getting refills at the proper time. Unfortunately, because there are so many different types of magnets in use today, and each of them experiences helium loss (AKA, boil-off) at a different rate, there is no one-size-fits-all prescription for when this needs to happen.

To help those of you comparing magnets and those of you looking to keep your existing magnet healthy, we've compiled helium boil-off rates and average refill costs for the top six magnets on the secondary market. These are the magnet types we see most often as a provider of used/refurbished MRI machines. Also included are a few pointers on refill rates and recommendations.

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