During my 1997 visit to a regional hospital on the outskirts of Beijing, I witnessed an emergency CT scan. The patient had suffered head injuries from an agricultural accident, but he was conscious and would agree to enter the scanner only if
Each year, Diagnostic Imaging devotes hundreds of thousands of words to the latest technologies and the challenges of practicing in a modern, well-equipped environment. CT, MR, and PET are the newsmakers, and nearly any discussion of practice
Great radiology schools are associated with extraordinary universities that honor a commitment to basic scientific research. Many medical breakthroughs occur in this environment, but many also arise elsewhere. The catalysts for excellent resea
Earlier this year, the Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, was in desperate need of up-to-date x-ray equipment. The 180-bed private hospital was equipped with outdated x-ray machines, including an 18-year-old portable x-ray unit and two
Radiologists are not immune to humanitarian impulses, but because so few charitable medical organizations are radiology-specific, some have taken it upon themselves to donate equipment to underserved areas.
Equipment donation is compl
A year ago, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital, guided by digital x-rays transmitted from the South Pole, helped a physician at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station surgically repair the damaged knee of a meteorologist overwintering i
In 1999, the Air Force had 147 radiologists. It expects to have as few as 48 by 2004. The number of military radiologists is expected to be only 50% of what is needed by this summer. The problem is simple economics: No service branch can compe
The world is running low on radiologists. This much all concerned parties agree on. But when it comes to putting hard numbers on just what the shortage means-or figuring out what to do about it-that agreement falls apart.
"If anybody
Recognizing the profound and rapid changes occurring in the field of medical imaging, contrast manufacturer Schering perceived a need in 1992 for a worldwide radiology educational program. As recently retired chair of radiology at the Universi
Although locations as geographically distinct as the Czech Republic and Hong Kong have accredited radiology training programs, most nations, especially those in the developing world, have no clear standards for evaluating radiology education.
Last summer, Dr. Maria Schmidt, an assistant professor of radiology at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, taught mammography technologists at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Fiji, how to position patients for standard mammogr
By assuring quicker and more precise diagnosis and disease monitoring, diagnostic radiology has become essential to every specialty of medicine. According to some estimates, plain-film radiography, CT, fluoroscopy, and other modalities acceler
Not long after the Taliban regime was overthrown in Afghanistan last year, 150 doctors, including nearly 75 women in chadors, attended the first course on ultrasound in Kabul. Despite intermittent electricity and no running water or air condit
Whether it is performed on a generator-powered radiography unit or a gleaming fusion scanner fresh from the factory, radiology exists to identify illnesses and injuries and to inform the physicians who will treat them. In this special edition,
Support from national radiological societies, international associations, and subspecialty groups is helping the World Health Organization meet its goal of improving diagnostic imaging facilities in developing countries.
Plans to set
Although the World Health Organization's first meeting on training and education in diagnostic imaging did not attract massive media attention, it was hugely symbolic. Thirty-eight invited attendees, all deeply involved in radiological educati
