A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan consortium has shown that adopting common radiation reduction techniques can help community-based cardiac CT practices break the habit of exposing patients to extraordinary amounts of radiation.

Simple measures of kidney stone diameter no longer make the grade for urologists, who now require more comprehensive valuations of stone density and composition to guide treatment decisions.

Software that improves image quality is on track to be a champion of CT dose reduction now and in the future.

Systems that effectively archive today’s thin-slice CT images are the wave of the future, but they aren’t here yet. In the meantime, PACS administrators need to be aware of this trend and consider scalable solutions that keep their options open for future developments, according to a presentation at the 2009 International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

Based on on a database with more than 100,000 submitted cases, modifications to the international system for staging non-small cell lung cancer promise to more closely reflect the connection between disease progression and the patient's prospects for survival.

A lifesaver for some and source of wasted diagnostic effort for others, incidental findings from CT colonography present opportunities and risks for patients and imaging practitioners.

The floodgates of advanced processing sprang wide Wednesday, unleashing a three-hour torrent of 2D and 3D renderings from eight workstations in what has become an annual event at the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

When it comes to iodinated contrast reactions in children, it’s important to have a policy in place before the need arises, as well as appropriate training, equipment, and physiologic ranges, according to a presentation by Dr. Donald P. Frush at the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT May 19.

Like Goldilocks testing the bears’ porridge, the American College of Radiology and other professional societies are using diagnostic reference level (DRL) data to tell radiologists if the patient dose radiation from their CT scanners is too hot or just right.

Training trumps experience when it comes to interpreting CT colonography, said Dr. Abe Dachman, director of the Fellowship Programs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The factors associated with clinically significant contrast-induced nephropathy are a low estimated glomerular filtration rate (<40 mL/min/1.73 m²), inpatient status, liver disease, use of loop diuretics, and diabetes, according to a May 19 presentation at the 2009 International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

Chinese Hospital is dedicated to serving patients of Chinese descent in San Francisco. By integrating advanced processing techniques and scheduling, its Carestream RIS/PACS helps the hospital make the most of its resources. Greg Freiherr has the story from San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Radiation exposure from multislice CT may be a reason for concern regarding pregnant women and fetuses, but Dr. Donald P. Frush does not consider it a contraindication to performing medically necessary procedures.

The new generation of wide CT detectors provides expanded coverage, allowing faster scans and even dynamic imaging of organs, including heart and brain. There are disadvantages, said Dr. Mathias Prokop, speaking May 19 at the 11th International Symposium on Multidetector Row CT, but these are minor in comparison.

One of the first proven applications for multislice CT was trauma, a clinical role affirmed by past International Symposia on Multidetector-Row CT and the one going on now in San Francisco. Over the last several years, however, another issue -- patient radiation dose -- has surfaced, calling some MSCT applications into question. Any concerns about radiation dose are vastly outweighed, however, by the benefits of CT when it comes to dealing with trauma patients.

A smorgasbord of challenges face radiology but few present a greater threat than the “invisible radiologist,” said Dr. Gary Glazer, chairman of the Stanford University radiology department, who kicked off the 11th International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

As with any competition, the value of the Workstation Face-Off at this year’s International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT will reveal itself during the course of the event.

Over the past quarter century, exposure to ionizing radiation from medical procedures in the U.S. has grown sevenfold, according to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. CT is a major source.

As researchers and clinicians gather to discuss the latest developments in advanced CT imaging, it is ironic that the new capabilities on exhibit here could become more affordable than ever for those in a position to acquire them.

CT exams are not routinely ordered for pregnant women, but may be necessary to detect suspected life-threatening conditions, such as bleeding in the brain, blood clots in the lungs, or appendicitis. The use of CT to do such studies has grown enormously over the last decade. A study published March 17 in the online edition of Radiology found that CT exams on pregnant women increased 25.3% per year from 1997 to 2006.

Technical innovations that were first rolled out at the 2008 RSNA six months ago will be reintroduced to the medical imaging community driving improved clinical applications highlighted at the 2009 International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT May 19 to 22.