The company's new report, "Global Trends in Medical Imaging -- Cardiology Applications," covers cardiac MRI, cardiac CT, interventional cardiology, and echocardiography. Markets in North America and Europe are mostly saturated, leaving the BRIC nations as the most promising areas of growth.

Demographics are playing a key role in the cardiac imaging market, according to the report, with the aging population the foremost driver of new sales. The rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases is expanding the patient pool, while resulting in rising demand for equipment and software that enable better diagnoses.

This trend is highlighting the need for technologically advanced medical imaging modalities. However, the lack of consensus on which imaging modality is most appropriate for a particular cardiac ailment has affected uptake levels, according to the firm.

Vendors should consider the fact that the choice of modality used is based on the preference of the cardiologist or radiologist, the report noted. In addition, companies should account for preference patterns for a particular modality showing regional variations.

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