Carestream wins Belgium PACS contracts

Carestream Health has won three contracts for Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) for mammography images in the French-speaking region of Belgium.

The three PACS deals cover: a regional programme for mammography screening; mobile mammography screening; and screening in a private radiology clinic.

The three deals will all support the regional Communauté Française mammography screening programme is being implemented in the French-speaking region of Belgium to image women aged between 50-69 every two years free of charge.

In the first phase of the project, Carestream PACS will be installed together with a high resolution diagnostic mammography workstation at the CCR and connected to ten reading centres across the region.

Following a first reading by a radiologist, each centre will send their mammography images via a secure connection to the CCR for a second diagnostic reading, a process that meets European guidelines stipulating that each mammography image must be read independently by two radiologists.

The PACS system being installed has capacity to store all mammography studies for five years, estimated at 60,000 from the first ten reading centres. As the programme is extended over the next five years it is anticipated that up to 60 first reading centres will be connected to the central CCR PACS system.

In addition, the Belgian Province of Liège is also inviting women aged between 40-49 to have a free-of-charge examination annually at two specially equipped mobile vans. Each vehicle will be fitted with a Kodak DirectView Elite CR System with mammography feature.

The Carestream PACS and diagnostic workstation will be installed at the central Service des Cars facility to support a first reading by radiologists and store all mammography studies for five years. The second reading will be undertaken by the CCR, in line with the programme of regional screening.

The third Belgian deal involves moving a private practice to a digital workflow with a CR platform, central PACS solution and diagnostic workstation. Future plans for the practice also include participation in the regional Communaute Francaise Mammography Screening programme.

“Carestream Health’s digital mammography solutions are increasingly meeting the demands of Belgium’s range of screening programmes,” said Ignace Wautier, general manager of Carestream Health in Belgium.