Digital mammography and radiography systems are innovative
technology solutions to the diagnostic and productivity limitations
of conventional X-ray
- Between 1995 and
2000, ATP co-funded a joint venture project with General
Electric Corporate R&D and PerkinElmer,
Inc.2
- The ATP provided $1.6 million and the companies provided
an additional $1.9 million in cost share.
- The companies developed a low-cost manufacturing process
for fabricating amorphous silicon detector panels for digital
mammography and radiography systems.
Project Performance
- The new process, expected to be implemented by 2004, will
reduce fabrication costs by approximately 25% without compromising
performance:
- Less complex fabrication with fewer mask steps: 7 vs. 11
- Fewer total process steps: 200 vs. 300
- The ATP-funded low-cost manufacturing process is expected
to deliver:
- Additional digital mammography and radiography systems are
expected to be sold.
- More patients will likely experience the benefits of digital
mammography and radiography.
- More health-care facilities will likely experience improved
productivity and patient throughput.
- Total Net Public Benefit to the Nation (excludes benefits
to funded companies):
- Net Present Value of ATP Investment: $219 million to $339
million ($2002)
- Public Return on ATP investment
- Internal rate of return on ATP Investment: 69 percent to
77 percent
- Public Benefit per ATP dollar invested
- Benefit-to-cost ratio for ATP Investment: 125:1 to 193:1
Broad Societal Benefits
- Benefits of digital mammography and radiography to
medical facility users and patients are much greater
than the benefits to the companies that produce them
- Societal
benefits include:
- Increased throughput, reduced patient examination time, and
reduced waiting time
- Lower false positive rates, and therefore fewer unnecessary
biopsies
- Lower call-back rates for mammogram under- and over exposure,
and therefore avoidance of unnecessary procedures
- Reduced radiation exposure
- Simplified record retrieval and record management of past
mammograms
- Assistance in use of computer-aided detection (CAD) for improved
cancer detection
- Reduced health disparities across population groups with
greater use of telemammography and teleradiology networks.
____________________
1 An ATP
contractor study—Dr. Thomas Pelsoci, Delta Research Company, Low-Cost
Manufacturing Process Technology for Amorphous Silicon Detectors:
Applications in Digital Mammography and Radiography,
(NIST GCR 03-844), 2003.
2 Formerly
EG&G Reticon.
Factsheet
1.B6 (Updated March 2003) |
