Main characteristics and development opportunities of high-end medical imaging equipment

Classified by applications, high-end medical imaging equipment can be divided into two major categories: medical diagnosis and medical treatment. The former mainly includes X-ray equipment, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound equipment, nuclear medicine equipment, medical endoscopes, and thermal imaging equipment, while the latter mainly includes interventional radiology and stereotactic radiosurgery equipment. According to the registration classification of medical devices in China, high-end medical imaging equipment can be divided into eight major categories (34 subcategories), namely medical optical instruments, instruments and endoscopes, medical ultrasound instruments and related equipment, medical magnetic resonance equipment, medical X-ray equipment, medical X-ray ancillary equipment and components, medical high-energy radiation equipment, and medical nuclide equipment and software.

Four Main Characteristics of the Development of High-End Medical Imaging Equipment

High-end medical imaging equipment is a high-end manufacturing industry characterized by multidisciplinary crossovers, knowledge intensity, and technology intensity. Currently, the development of high-end medical imaging equipment mainly shows the following characteristics:

Integration and Combination:With the continuous improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment levels, single diagnostic and therapeutic methods can no longer meet the needs, so technological integration and combination development have become a trend. Medical image fusion allows observation and comparative analysis between different images, generating a new type of information image and providing more information from different perspectives.

Miniaturization and Portability:As the world enters an aging society, a series of age-related diseases are gradually becoming more prevalent, and medical research and technological development will focus more on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. These diseases require continuous monitoring and treatment, leading to the miniaturization and portability of medical electronic products. In addition, the development of microelectronic technology has also made it possible for medical devices to be smaller and more energy-efficient.

Non-invasive and Minimally Invasive:The intervention of imaging in clinical treatment makes minimally invasive surgery possible. Minimally invasive surgery can effectively reduce patient pain, reduce the risk of surgery and infection, and the postoperative scars are very small, thus becoming the development trend of today's surgery. Due to the huge market demand for minimally invasive surgery, the related surgical navigator systems and treatment equipment have developed rapidly.

Networked Development:With the development of computer and network technology, the informatization and networking of the medical field is the future development trend of medical governance. This trend will lead to increased demand for advanced, sophisticated, and high-tech equipment such as imaging and digitalization. The widespread establishment of hospital information systems has led hospitals to further establish clinical information systems centered on Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), and the processing of medical image information, accounting for more than 90% of all medical information, is the core of hospital informatization in the future.

China Should Seize the Opportunity for Innovative Development of High-End Medical Imaging Equipment

 

Demand:Digital medical imaging technology has become the most important and essential means of clinical diagnosis and treatment and an important indicator of hospital equipment level. However, the amount of high-end medical imaging equipment in China is still far from enough. For example, the current penetration rate of magnetic resonance imaging instruments in China is less than 2 per million people (more than 40 in developed countries such as the United States and Japan). Therefore, it is particularly urgent to break the technological monopoly of multinational corporations in high-end medical imaging, effectively reduce the cost of imaging equipment, improve the market share of China's medical imaging equipment, and benefit the people by providing early prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Foundation:After decades of unremitting efforts, China's medical imaging industry has continuously developed based on tracking technological trends and product imitation in developed countries. Currently, the product technology structure of China's medical imaging industry has undergone significant changes, with new technologies and products constantly emerging. Domestic products have been developed and produced in the fields of CT, MRI, digital X-ray machines, and digital ultrasound, gradually expanding their share of the domestic market. This has not only forced similar imported products to lower their Price, but some products have also made breakthroughs in exports, beginning to enter the international market. From a national perspective, the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta regions have a good industrial foundation for imaging diagnostic equipment.

In terms of policy support, China has successively promulgated or revised the "Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices" and the "Special Approval Procedures for Innovative Medical Devices (Trial Implementation)" and other relevant regulations or policies on medical device industry technology. The management and support for the industry and technology are becoming more specific, covering a wider range, involving products with higher technological content and more advanced technologies, providing effective support for the development of China's high-end medical imaging equipment industry.

Bottlenecks:At present, China urgently needs to break through key technologies such as high-frequency/high-voltage generators, TFT-based flat-panel digital X-ray detectors, MRI gradient amplifiers, PET-MRI integrated technology, fluorescence, infrared light or other light source microscopes, high-definition digital image processing, wireless acquisition and transmission of image diagnostic data, PACS hospital full-digital imaging systems, and computer-aided diagnosis and detection technologies (such as tumor localization and detection), to further enhance international competitiveness.

Currently, China has a small number of public service platforms for medical imaging equipment R&D and industrialization, and their capacity is limited. They are unable to effectively solve the problem of "stuck necks" in core technologies. Because medical devices involve multiple fields such as materials, electronics, and biology, a common platform often cannot cover the entire process of device R&D, and the profit model of the platform is often unclear. Therefore, the supporting capabilities of public service platforms for various aspects of device R&D, such as fine processing, testing services, and clinical services, need to be strengthened.

Suggestions:We should fully utilize the latest advancements in advanced manufacturing and computer science, closely focusing on the needs of disease prevention, clinical diagnosis and treatment, and health promotion, aiming at new treatment technologies and medical devices in clinical medical research, relying on the industry-academia-research-medical cooperation system, and starting from the full industrial chain of sub-sectors. We should organize the high-end medical imaging equipment industry to implement projects such as product breakthroughs, improvements in the capabilities of existing products, and tracking innovation of cutting-edge technologies. We should focus on supporting and guiding the development of high-end medical imaging equipment products, such as digital X-ray imaging products, magnetic resonance imaging systems, X-ray computed tomography technology, multi-modal medical image fusion systems, stereotactic physical energy tumor treatment equipment, multi-channel color ultrasound machines, and high-definition electronic endoscopes.

Encourage cutting-edge innovation, promote the integration of the medical device industry and emerging industries, expand the coverage and Applications of excellent domestic medical equipment, explore the establishment of an application evaluation system for domestic medical equipment, and achieve leapfrog development of the high-end medical imaging equipment industry.

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