Educational efforts to raise awareness about the associated risks of CT-based radiation exposure and the need to keep children from receiving unnecessary scans seem to be achieving traction among healthcare providers, according to a study by Ohio researchers. Their findings suggest that such increased awareness may make referring physicians less likely to order imaging that involves ionizing radiation for young patients.

Overall unaudited attendance at the 2008 Radiological Society of North America was down compared with last year, according to Thursday’s figures. But exhibitor registration took the hardest hit.

A lesion’s type and location, and the number of muscles that a needle has to pierce to reach it, rather than the number of procedures, determine the level and duration of pain after radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas, according to Mayo researchers.

As percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement replaces bypass surgery in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, cardiologists and surgeons now are performing far more of the procedures than radiologists, according to research presented Thursday at the RSNA meeting.

Siemens Healthcare unveiled a breast ultrasound system at RSNA 2008 whose automated exams could help women’s health practitioners achieve the potential of ultrasound as a complement to mammography.

Siemens underscored its commitment to women’s health with its introduction at RSNA 2008 of Espree Pink, a 1.5T scanner dedicated to breast imaging.

Discovery PET/CT 600 debuted at the RSNA meeting, taking a midtier position in GE Healthcare’s family of hybrid devices.