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PACS images can be treated byte by byteOur PACS project at the University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium radically follows from an overall IT perspective. The emphasis on image flow throughout the entire hospital supersedes operations within the image-generating departments. Image management outside the radiology department is not an afterthought, but rather an integral part in, and even a driving factor for, decisions that the department makes. Although images have specific characteristics and requirements, we often consider them yet another type of data or a collection of bytes.
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Residents risk missing the informatics boatPACS and other information technologies have become mainstream in the radiology community. Imaging informatics is definitely here to stay, and those radiologists who embrace it will be more productive and more efficient in their work.
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Intracranial implant materialeffects create reporting issuesImplanted medical devices such as neurostimulators,cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, and infusionpumps have become common.
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Small bowel findings reveal tumor spectrumThe spectrum of usual and unusual primary neoplasms involving the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum is extremely wide. Our own database of digestive pathology contains a range of benign small bowel neoplasms (adenoma, leiomyoma, lipoma, familial polyposis, hemangioma, lymphangioma, and fibroma), as well as examples of malignancy (adenocarcinoma, carcinoid tumor, lymphoma, leiomyosarcoma, direct extension from extraintestinal tumors, and metastasic lesions).
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Imaging modalities shed light on intracranial cystsAny fluid-filled cavity or sac that is lined by an epithelium is a cyst, and intracranial cystic lesions are a common finding on CT and MR imaging of the brain.1,2 These lesions contain either cerebrospinal fluid, fluid that is similar to CSF, mucus, or proteinaceous fluid. They are lined by epithelial cells, inflammatory cells, or glial cells. The attenuation characteristics of the cyst on CT and MRI and the contrast enhancement patterns depend on the cyst's contents and the composition of the wall.
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PACS upgrades require careful advance planningA particular problem facing large teaching hospitals is that even as health information systems such as PACS and RIS require regular updating, the staff members using these systems are constantly changing. Interns and registrars will be moving through the hospital on fixed-term training placements. From a training point of view, the hospital IT support staff would prefer to have stable systems. This would allow training modules to be available online to a wide range of clinical staff who could learn the systems with a minimum of time, effort, and cost.
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Intracranial implant materialeffects create reporting issuesImplanted medical devices such as neurostimulators,cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, and infusionpumps have become common.
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CT and MRI give answers in cardiac neoplasmsNoninvasive cardiac imaging is gaining widespread acceptance. Both CT and MRI can determine the absence or presence of coronary artery disease accurately and reliably. This is done by either assessing the coronary artery morphology or by offering detailed insight into functional aspects and myocardial perfusion.
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MR-guided biopsies pose major challengesAccurate needle placement requires instrumentationfor good imaging contrast and high spatial resolution
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Enterprise-wide 3D assists radiology/surgery workflowIt is becoming increasingly important in modern distributed healthcare enterprises to view and manipulate 3D images. CT and MRI systems are creating ever larger volumes of data. This has increased the need for fast and efficient 3D postprocessing tools, such as multiplanar reconstruction, volume rendering, curved reformatting, and volume measurement.
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MR imaging methods unite to monitor MS progressMultiple sclerosis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It is characterized by pathological changes that include inflammation, demyelination, and axonal injury.
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Tuberculous PericarditisAn 18-year-old Nigerian male with a history of previous exposure to tuberculosis, presented to our department for a mild, subcontinuous, fever and dyspnea.
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Comment: The ECR – a mirror reflecting my life as a radiologistThe first ECR meeting that I attended was in 1999. I had started a CT practice in a hospital in Mumbai in 1995 with a conventional CT scanner and when it was time to upgrade to a spiral CT scanner, my wife and I thought it would be a good idea to attend an international conference. After our experience at the RSNA in Chicago in 1994, which had left us with severe sensory and physical overload from running from one place to another, trying to attend everything at once, a smaller meeting seemed more appealing.
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How to Change Billing Companies Without Interrupting Cash FlowThe key to minimize, and eliminate, an interruption in cash flow lies in the proper timing, planning and execution of a transition plan that requires clear, regular communication between the client and the new billing company.
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Ergonomics straightens its posture at SCAR 2004Radiologists, radiology administrators, and IT managers have long described the transition to digital image management as something that might become widespread in the mid- to long-term future. Yet the transition has occured sooner and is more extensive
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Bouveret’s Syndrome Due to Cholecystoduodenal FistulaCase History: A 44-year-old female admitted with severe, colicky right upper quadrant pain radiating through to her back and one episode of vomiting of gallstones.
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MSCT venography finds cerebral thrombosesDural sinus and cerebral venous thromboses (CVT) are difficult to diagnose. Symptoms are often nonspecific and may evolve slowly, and anatomic variations can further complicate diagnostic decision making. Unilateral aplasias of the transverse or sigmoid sinus, frontal agenesis of the superior sagittal sinus, and high partitions of the transverse sinus are common pitfalls in the diagnosis of CVT.
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CT angiography data offernew approach to perfusionAcute stroke is a medical emergency that is potentially treatable. Because "time is brain," however, the imaging workup must be fast and therapy initiated rapidly.
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40-slice scanners boost neuro CT angiographyThe introduction of 40-slice CT scanners has opened up new possibilities for CT angiography of the supra-aortal vasculature. Imaging can be performed with even thinner slices, and more rapidly, than on 16-slice systems, and images have higher resolution. Conventional protocols for imaging the brain and its arterial supply must be adjusted to profit from these parameters.
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Eliminate Certificate of Need LawsMany states still live in the dark ages. CON programs actually increase costs by eliminating competition and preventing providers from entering the market.
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Experience overcomes difficulties of 3T MRIWhole-body MR scanners that operate at high field strengths are becoming widely available, and new 3T models have been launched in recent years. This generation of scanners offers exciting possibilities for radiological diagnosis while also posing challenges.
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Multidetector CT reveals diverse variety of abdominal herniasAlthough most hernias involving the anterior abdominal wall or groin can be diagnosed easily by inspection and palpation, imaging is the principal means of detecting internal, diaphragmatic, and other nonpalpable or unsuspected hernias.1,2
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Siemens taps technology to boost performanceWorkflow, patient comfort, image quality rise with innovative devices and applications.
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CT and MRI provide impetus in heart imaging revolutionCoronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries.1 Accurate detection of early cardiac disease is of utmost importance for the delivery of appropriate treatment.
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We spend on end-of-life care at expense of patientsI have an elderly, demented aunt in California for whom I am the responsible decision maker. Up until a few years ago, Aunt Doris was an intelligent, powerful, and forceful woman.
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Decreasing Dose and Increasing SuccessA personal experience with dose that confirms the need for a push for mobile DR.
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Solid groundwork leads to rapid PACS acceptanceThe introduction of PACS in a hospital opens up a new world for its users. The impact of PACS on the organization is huge. The new system brings about a dramatic change in workflow, and users must invest time and effort in learning to work with it.
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Tackling Healthcare Quality and CostsImaging providers and regulators are looking for ways to demonstrate and improve quality, plus control costs. And I’m trying to explain it.
