Radiologists are playing a central role in the aftermath of terror attacks in Israel, delegates heard on Sunday. CT is now regarded as the primary diagnostic tool in incidents involving multiple casualties, Dr. Ahuva Engel told attendees at the “ESR meets Israel” session. More »

Representatives for five workstation vendors worked fast and furiously to complete an assigned set of image postprocessing tasks during the ECR’s first workstation face-off Saturday. More »

Days spent sitting in lecture theatres and seminar rooms, long hikes from scientific sessions to the exhibition hall with a briefcase under one arm and a weighty conference bag on the other shoulder, evenings hunched over a laptop putting the final touches to the next day’s presentation… It could be argued that attending ECR is a recipe for backache. More »

Computer-aided detection may lend an extra punch to the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism with multislice and dual-energy CT scanners. Studies by French and German researchers have shown it helps detect small, hard-to-spot clots lodged in the lungs’ periphery. More »

Interest in multimodality imaging shows no sign of abating. New tracers are opening up the range of clinical applications, while novel technological solutions are paving the way for yet more modality marriages, according to speakers at Sunday’s special focus session on hybrid imaging. More »

Delegates caught a glimpse of the future of radiological technology at Sunday’s “ESR meets Israel” session. Israel may be relatively a small nation, with a population of just seven million, but it is making important contributions to innovation. About 900 companies are developing new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare IT products. The majority of these businesses are relatively young and are supported by venture capital funding. More »

The controversial topic of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis drew a large crowd to a special focus session at the ECR. Delegates queued to quiz speakers about their recommendations for avoidance of the condition, ensuring a lively panel discussion. More »

Computer-aided detection and diagnosis tools were showcased at Saturday’s “ESR meets Germany” session. Speakers highlighted four key clinical areas where advances could make a real difference to diagnostic decision making. More »

Novel concepts and approaches are essential to speed up MRI examinations. Furthermore, pushing speed limits does not just mean doing the same things quicker -- new application areas must also be found. More »

Cardiac imaging is at a crossroads, according to next year’s ECR president. He’s not alone in holding such an opinion. More »

The number of CT scans performed in the pediatric abdomen in the U.S. is high compared with Europe, possibly because doctors fear legal action in the case of a missed pathology or disease. Rather than using CT for appendicitis, many doctors in the Netherlands still prefer to use ultrasound to visualize the swollen, fluid-filled, or normal appendix. More »

Marathon runners 50 years or older may face a higher than expected risk of sudden cardiovascular accidents. MR imaging with late gadolinium enhancement may help identify these athletes in time to keep them from potentially deadly episodes, according to German researchers. More »

Radiologists must develop strategies for participating in the new age of imaging-based research. They need to join interdisciplinary teams, develop core imaging facilities for host institutions, involve themselves in small-animal imaging facilities, enter clinical research programs, and learn about PET and molecular imaging, which are at the core of pharmaceutical development. More »

One of the world’s smallest portable scanners, a new approach to 3D imaging, an award-winning convertible platform, and a novel method for detecting deep body tumors are among the many ultrasound highlights in the Technical Exhibition at ECR 2008. More »

In my leisurely hours of continuing education in February and March, I read some articles in the daily papers and learned journals that taught me new aspects of medicine. Among them were the following issues. More »

The enhanced spatial resolution and speed afforded by 64-slice CT scanning could enable the accurate assessment of right ventricular function in patients with cardiovascular disease, according to researchers in China and the U.S. More »