Though generally deemed safe, high-intensity focused-ultrasound ablation of liver and pancreas cancers can lead to delayed complications. According to Korean researchers, practitioners should be aware of—and watch closely for—local and systemic post-HIFU side effects several years down the road.

Breast cancer detection rates increase substantially when women at high risk and those with dense breasts undergo mammography and ultrasound annually, according to a study presented Wednesday at the 2009 RSNA meeting. MRI is an even more effective technique when used with mammography, but only for women who are at high risk for the condition.

Korean researchers tested the ability of radiologists to spot CT images altered with commercially available software to introduce pathology and found that their ability to do so is no more certain than a coin flip.

Interventional radiologists should refrain from performing either kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty unless the procedure, intended mostly for the management of pain from vertebral compression fractures, is done in the context of clinical trials.

Standard nuclear scintigraphy of parathyroid cancer produces enough false positives for patients with multigland disease to lead researchers to recommend rapid intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay along with preoperative technetium-99m sestamibi imaging to assure that all lesions have been removed.

Knee osteoarthritis progression can be predicted by MRI findings of medial collateral ligament edema, bone marrow lesions, and being female, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting Thursday morning.

Toshiba laid the groundwork for entering the 3T marketplace in the U.S. with the unveiling of its Vantage Titan 3T system at RSNA 2009. The work-in-progress, which is pending FDA clearance, leapfrogs earlier generations of 3T scanners with a 71-cm tapered aperture and Pianissimo noise reduction technology.

Endocrinologists are biting into radiology’s control over the management of nuclear imaging procedures involving an administration of radioiodine.

GE Healthcare announced at RSNA 2009 an effort to develop the next generation of software designed to cut patient x-ray dose from CT.

New software shown by Siemens at the RSNA meeting promises to cut patient exposure to x-rays by as much as 60% for a wide range of CT applications.