In the price-driven mobile C-arm market, the benefits of flat-panel digital (FPD) detectors often don't outweigh the lower cost of traditional image intensifier technology. Demand will gradually increase, however, once the average selling price drops, according to market research and consulting firm IHS Markit Healthcare Technology.
In a new research note on the mobile C-arm market, IHS said the proportion of mobile C-arms with flat-panel detectors in the market will eventually surpass that of mobile C-arms with image intensifier technology.
"The point at which this will happen will depend on the price dynamics of the two technologies, on new suppliers entering the [flat-panel detector] market segment, and on further demonstration of the clinical benefits that [flat-panel detector] mobile C-arms can offer," IHS wrote.
Flat-panel detectors have experienced substantial adoption in x-ray imaging modalities in recent years, but that hasn't been the case in the mobile C-arm market; mobile C-arms with flat-panel detectors typically cost 35% more than the price of mobile C-arm equipment with image intensifier technology, IHS said. While the average selling price of mobile C-arms with flat-panel detectors is dropping due to lower manufacturing costs, the price gap will not close significantly in the near future due to increased competition in the image intensifier market segment, according to the firm.
IHS noted mobile C-arms are relatively expensive and are not an investment priority; these systems are often being used for more than 10 years before replacement. The firm said a healthy market currently exists for refurbished mobile C-arms, which can be typically purchased for half the price of new systems. However, most refurbished systems available in the market use image intensifier technology.
"As existing FPD mobile C-arms approach the end of their normal replacement period over the next three to four years, the number of these systems in the refurbished market will increase," IHS wrote. "The increased presence of refurbished FPD mobile C-arms at a lower cost will further add to the pressure on the price of new FPD systems, boosting the FPD mobile C-arm market through increased affordability."
Due to their higher budgets and need for powerful C-arms that produce high-quality images, cardiology and vascular surgery have been the first to adopt flat-panel detector technology in mobile C-arms, IHS said. This demand will be sustained, but the company projects there will be less demand from other applications with tighter budgets, such as orthopedics.
