Contents:

-1. Executive Summary --1. Executive Summary ---1. Executive Summary -2. Total North American X-Ray Mammography Market --1. Market Overview ---1. Introduction ---2. Research Methodology ---3. Market Engineering Measurements ---4. Revenue Forecast ---5. Market Drivers ---6. Market Restraints ---7. Product Analysis ---8. Competitive Structure and Market Share Analysis --2. Challenges ---1. Overview of Challenges ---2. Vanishing Analog Mammography Sales Threaten Tier 3 Companies ---3. Economic Difficulties Among End-Users Limits Sales of Mammography Equipment ---4. Recent Industry Consolidations Limit Competition in the Mammography Industry --3. Strategic Recommendations ---1. Overview of Strategy Recommendations ---2. Invest in Future Digital Mammography Technologies ---3. Advocate for Increased Reimbursement Rates and Lobby for Legislation to Reduce Malpractice Claims for Mammography ---4. Penetration of Emerging Markets by Companies not Already Established in the North American Market -3. Screening X-Ray Mammography --1. Segment Level Analysis ---1. Segment Overview and Technology Trends ---2. Potential Impact of CR Mammography ---3. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts ---4. Market Trends ---5. Competitive Structure and Market Share Analysis --2. Analog Screening Mammography ---1. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts ---2. Pricing Analysis ---3. Market Share Analysis ---4. Procedural Volume and Installed Base Analysis --3. Full-Field Digital Mammography ----1. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts --2. Pricing Analysis ---3. Market Share Analysis ---4. Procedure Volume and Installed Base Analysis -4. Diagnostic X-Ray Mammography --1. Segment Level Analysis ----1. Segment Overview and Technology Trends --2. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts ---3. Market Trends ---4. Competitive Structure and Market Share Analysis --2. Add-on Upright Spot Mammography ---1. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts ---2. Pricing Analysis ---3. Market Share Analysis ---4. Procedure Volume and Installed Base Analysis by Country --3. Prone Spot Mammography ---1. Unit Shipment and Revenue Forecasts ---2. Pricing Analysis ---3. Market Share Analysis ---4. Procedure Volume and Installed Base Analysis -5. Statistical Appendix - Decision Support Database --1. DSD Tables ---1. Breast Cancer Incidence ---2. Breast Cancer Mortality Rates ---3. Female Population Size ---4. Female Life Expectancy ---5. Number of Physicians

Summary:

Market Overview Full-Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) Technology Driving Market Growth The North American x-ray mammography markets are being reinvigorated by the launch of several new FFDM technologies such as computed radiography (CR) mammography and flat-panel digital mammography. Flat-panel units in particular are driving the markets’ growth, with their North American installed base increasing from 3.3 percent in November 2003 to 13.8 percent in October 2006. This correlates with the number FFDM units, which has significantly increased from 339 units in November 2003 to 1,311 units in October 2006. The number of newly installed FFDM units every month increased by 333 percent from December 2003 to February 2006 and during the eight month period from February 2006 to October 2006, monthly installed units increased by 368 percent. In line with these trends, unit shipments of FFDM are expected to exceed that of film-screen units by a ratio of more than five to one. However, low reimbursement rates threaten to increase the closure of facilities, thereby restraining potential market revenues. The lack of high reimbursement rates prevents mammography facilities from breaking even, and this contributed to the continued increase of the closure of 9,306 certified facilities in October 2003 to 8,881 facilities in November 2005, with the trend continuing in 2006. "The significant increase in the number of malpractice claims is discouraging physicians specializing in breast imaging," notes the analyst of this research service. "The Physicians Insurers Association of America (PIAA) reports that the increase in claims concerning the misinterpretation of mammograms was higher than that of any other medical condition." Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) Expected to Further Spur the Growth of the X-Ray Mammography Markets DBT or 3D mammography is an emerging technology that has the potential to significantly increase the revenues of the North American x-ray mammography market. The 2D mammography technique may miss a breast cancer superimposed over other tissue, or the superimposition of regular tissue may appear more radiopaque and be falsely diagnosed as cancerous. In DBT, the x-ray tube moves in an arc while 11 images are taken during a seven-second examination. The information is then transferred to a computer in which algorithms produce highly focused 3D radiographic images. Industry participants speculate that the DBT technology may receive FDA approval by 2008. A historical perspective of the market penetration of FFDM in the analog markets indicates that DBT technology has a high potential to penetrate the marketplace and increase revenues later in the forecast period. From a product perspective, analog mammography is the most mature and rapidly declining subsegment of the x-ray mammography market. On the other hand, FFDM is the most nascent and rapidly growing subsegment and a major portion of industry efforts are expected to be allocated to develop and incrementally improve the digital segment of the market. Add-on digital spot is also a mature market subsegment that is declining, whereas prone digital spot is increasing in unit shipment and has the majority of the installed base for the diagnostic segment in North America. "Mammography vendors and end-users must involve themselves in substantive lobbying efforts to prevent progressively worsening financial situation of facilities," says the analyst. "Furthermore, they should aggressively focus on innovative technologies that could potentially improve the negative cycle of facility closure."