The Future of CT

Ms. PACS: If you were wondering if other radiologists thought the same as you about the near future of CT, well these are the results from a group of 200 radiologists polled by The MarkeTech Group on CT in terms of usage and capital investments.


This is one interpretation of the results by an analyst:
IT News Poll 1: The majority believe that CT volumes will increase in 2009;
IT News Poll 2: Clearly most of the facilities do not plan to purchase CT scanners in the next year;
IT News Poll 3: The difference between smaller imaging systems and larger imaging systems is not statistically significant.

This is another interpretation of the results by a radiologist:
It is somewhat surprised by the overwhelming response to question #1. Despite concerns for Radiation Safety, more than 80% of respondents expect an increase in CT volumes, perhaps related to the expanded range of examinations made possible by multi-detector technology. Hopefully we will follow the ALARA principles and "Image Gently."

With the other two questions, clearly this reflects the current economic climate. But even during this crisis, fully one third of respondents plan major capital expenditures in either CT or MR, which is a testament to their value added in streamlining costs in medicine today.

Which interpretation do you think is more accurate?