Higher-End Diagnostic Imaging Uptake Fending off Market Maturity in Europe

The rising prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles and increasing elderly population and in Europe will fuel demand for diagnostic imaging procedures. The European diagnostic imaging system market is forecast to expand slightly, to nearly USD 2.2 billion in 2017, according to recent market research.

Although the effects of the European debt crisis will continue to hamper the market to some extent by delaying buying capital equipment in the next few years, economic conditions will slowly recover after 2013. As aging systems are finally replaced and more facilities purchase high-end imaging systems, system revenues will gather speed, with the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) system markets growing the fastest through 2017, according to Millennium Research Group (MRG; Toronto, Canada), a global company focused on medical technology market intelligence.

Higher-end systems are being purchased in these segments, particularly in the CT system market, because they offer sophisticated features and effective images. In addition to higher-quality, facilities will also seek to purchase high-end systems with better dose management features—a significant consideration given the community’s ongoing emphasis on reducing radiation doses.

Likewise, the market will show an ongoing shift in preference for higher-end direct radiography (DR) X-ray systems as facilities try to become more efficient. “The shift to DR X-ray systems is somewhat of a double-edged sword,” said MRG analyst Felix Lam. “These premium systems are fueling revenues, but their efficiency in patient throughput also means that one DR system can replace multiple analog and computed radiography systems.”

The European diagnostic imaging system market is led by multisegment vendors GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK), Siemens Healthcare (Erlangen, Germany), and Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands), which compete across a range imaging modalities. The strength of these companies lies in their leading positions in the MRI and CT system markets, the critical segments for the near future.

Millennium Research Group, a Decision Resources Group company, is a global specialist on medical technology market intelligence and a provider of strategic information to the healthcare sector.

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