DBT now accounts for 50% of mammography systems market

The largest and fastest growing segment in the U.S. breast imaging market is digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), accounting for more than 50% of the breast imaging industry, according to market research firm iData Research.

By the end of 2015, most analog mammography devices will have been converted to digital radiography (DR) mammography units, according to iData. Therefore, the significant growth in DR mammography that was seen in previous years has begun to slow down. The only segment remaining to drive growth in the breast imaging market is DBT.

Forecasts show that in the near future, no analog mammography systems are expected to be sold, as they will be obsolete. The market is transitioning into a replacement one, while simultaneously being bolstered by new DBT system sales.

The conversion of analog to digital imaging systems has reached more than 90%, and the number of digital units in demand is reaching a plateau. This dramatically decreases the market growth rate, despite sales in DR mammography being strong in comparison with analog mammography sales. This downward trend in unit sales should continue even with the growing popularity of DBT systems, iData added.