Themes emerging from breast imaging abstracts at the upcoming RSNA include the increased use of breast MRI, full-field digital mammography versus film-screen mammography, and more.

You can tell by the titles of special focus sessions planned for the 2008 RSNA that program committee chair Dr. Robert M. Quencer sees an opportunity to use the sessions to examine tough issues affecting clinical imaging practice.

Computer-aided detection significantly improves the sensitivity of pulmonary embolism imaging, according to a study that will be presented at the 2008 RSNA meeting. Other studies show that specially developed CAD schemes can detect flat lesions that are often missed in CT colonography.

RSNA presentations on prostate cancer staging and treatment, along with talks on radiation therapy for thoracic malignancies, have piqued the interest of cancer care specialists. But in general, oncologists and radiation oncologists conveyed some reservations about this year’s offerings in oncologic imaging and therapies.

Highlights of the 2008 RSNA meeting include discussions about the use of CT angiography as a noninvasive technique for diagnosing coronary artery disease and the replacement of standard optical colonoscopy with CT colonography to screen for colon cancer.

There is nothing like a little momentum to help the RSNA organizers present the latest developments in imaging research in the meeting’s scientific sessions. Everyone associated with imaging sciences from Beijing to New York City understands that presenting research in Chicago is an essential requirement for membership in this unique community.

Highlights of the 2008 RSNA meeting suggest the field of musculoskeletal radiology is moving away from purely descriptive imaging studies and more into quantitative ones. Research is advancing the understanding of tissue function and underlying anomalies as well as image-guided treatment options.

CT vendors have diverged this year as never before, choosing technological paths to new generations of scanners that reflect their own particular engineering strengths and history of R&D. Core developments by each have translated into novel capabilities. Software and mechanical fixes have countered weaknesses.

The PACS market has changed. It is no longer just about the images.

Early CT systems delivered insights about the body’s anatomy that were previously impossible.

Since full-field mammography started going digital eight years ago, systems based on flat-panel arrays have dominated. But computed radiography has begun seeping into that market and, if the FDA allows CR companies to apply for streamlined 510(k) approval of mammography upgrades, the trickle of CR products could turn into a flood.

MR vendors have been chipping away at new clinical applications for years. They have pointed to 3T as the means to expand routine practice in ways that are not routine, adding computing engines to handle the massive volumes of data that would gush forth, expanding data pipelines, building out coils with extended channels—in short, creating the infrastructure to support a new diagnostic order. This year, they mean business.

Full-field digital mammography was built on solid-state technology. The first such machines, introduced eight years ago, were based on flat-panel detectors, a tradition that continued until the commercial introduction of computed radiography a few years ago.

The inherent strengths of ultrasound—low cost, wide availability, nonionizing radiation—make this modality a favorite to get the diagnostic ball rolling.

Ultrasound will step into the politically charged environs of women's health and address the vagaries of today's financial challenges at this year's RSNA meeting.