Sunday,
November 28
Morning Edition
Vendors
reexamine their RSNA exhibit strategies
Companies develop new ways to market to customers serious about
their purchasing plans
Angio,
cardiac imaging top list for MR and CT
Much faster scanning prompts manufacturers to seek ways to handle
an increasing flow of information
CR
stands out among digital x-ray products
Attendees will see the ongoing efforts of vendors to improve flat-panel
detectors and image processing
PACS
vendors target workflow, integration
Companies expand breadth of technology to support smaller healthcare
institutions
Ultrasound
upgrades link quality with productivity
Products allow departments to quickly obtain consistent results
from user to user and patient to patient
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The
PACSman
Sunday,
November 28
Evening Edition
Imaging
advances expand radiology's role in oncology
Radiologists have become major consultants and partners in cancer
care as advances in technology permit imaging studies to make essential
contributions at every level of care.
Multimodality
algorithm evaluates postoperative breast cancer
Changes in breast tissue following lumpectomy or biopsy can mimic
malignancy, creating challenges in postoperative breast imaging.
Clinician-driven
reporting tool relies on point-and-click efficiency
Imaging technology has changed dramatically over the decades, but
the method of generating radiology reports has not.
Legality
of digital signatures undergoes scrutiny
At this year's InfoRad, exhibitors are examining the myriad facets
of the integrated healthcare enterprise.
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PACSman
Monday,
November 29
Morning Edition
Cost
pressures set for a return, radiologists warn
Cost pressures that threatened radiology in the mid-1990s have
been in abeyance for a couple of years, but are primed for a return,
speakers told a refresher course audience Sunday.
Health
insurance premiums are increasing by 5% annually nationwide and at
double-digit rates in some areas, said Dr. Derace Schaffer, a director
for Radiologix, a physician practice management company.
Thrall
honored as radiology leader at Diagnostic Imaging award ceremony
As a tribute to the best minds and innovations in radiology, Peter
L. Ogle, editor of Diagnostic Imaging, presented the magazine's first
Excellence in Diagnostic Imaging awards in ceremonies corresponding
with the RSNA meeting Sunday at the Regal Knickerbocker Hotel.
Automated
radiology practice: Former CEO pitches wave of the future
Electronic radiology systems save money and lead to a higher level
of radiology service, according to a former healthcare CEO who says
he would push even harder for automation if he had to do it all over
again.
Philips
unveils new CT, MR scanners
Philips Medical Systems chose the RSNA meeting to unveil two new
MR scanners and a revamped CT equipment lineup.
Voice
recognition adds time to radiology reports
Radiology reports prepared with voice recognition technology require
37% more time to prepare, compared to conventionally dictated reports.
Small
company harbors big hopes for new head coil
Advanced Imaging Research, a small start-up company based in Cleveland,
has developed a new phased-array head coil that the company says improves
signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio by up to 40%.
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Notes
from the front lines of radiology's Woodstock
- The
PACSman
The times are a-changing -- or are they?
Monday,
November 29
Evening Edition
Experts
express optimism on role of integration in everyday practice
The official unveiling of the RSNA's Integrated Healthcare Enterprise
drew a packed audience of press, vendors, and physicians Monday, as
a panel of electronic communications experts from the worlds of radiology
and informatics outlined the goals of the first-year initiative.
The
IHE is a collaborative effort between the RSNA and the Healthcare
Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Study
finds ER physicians rarely read ultrasound studies
Diagnostic ultrasound may be a hot topic in emergency room physician
circles, but in reality, ER doctors rarely perform the procedures.
Investigational
MRI technique identifies soft plaque in arteries
An investigational MR technique may prove to be an important tool
for identifying soft plaque in the coronary arteries, which is associated
with 70% of heart attacks.
Study
documents shift toward cross-sectional imaging
Radiology is moving slowly but surely from plain film to cross-sectional
imaging, according to an analysis of fiscal 1993 and 1996 data from
172 VA hospitals.
Idea
of ban against MRI for lower back pain sparks debate
A study that found that neoplasms cause 3% of lower back pain cases
may not be earthshaking, but in the context of managed-care trends
the effects could be profound.
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Notes
from the front lines of radiology's Woodstock
- The
PACSman
The times are a-changing -- or are they?
Computer
identifies overlooked breast lesions
A computer-aided detection system correctly identified almost
80% of breast lesions initially overlooked on screening mammography,
a California radiologist reported at the RSNA meeting on Monday.
The CAD system proved capable of identifying both masses and calcifications
that were missed on mammography. The results suggest that computer-aided
detection might have a role in screening mammography, said Dr. Robyn
Birdwell of Stanford University.
Full
story
Emerging
infections challenge public health, radiology
Infections once considered limited to the domain of tropical
medicine have created a worldwide presence that poses a major threat
to public health and a challenge to diagnostic imaging.
Full story
New
factors may enter into screening mammography debate
The cost-effectiveness of annual screening mammography exams
for 40 to 49-year-old women can be heavily influenced by factors
that are not easily controlled.
Full
story
Scintigraphy
aids detection of deep vein thrombosis
A new thrombus-imaging agent may offer help for identifying acute
deep vein thrombosis associated with equivocal or negative ultrasound
studies in high-risk patients, nuclear medicine specialist Dr. Robert
Caretta said during an RSNA scientific session on Monday.
Full story
Kodak
enters digital fray through strategic alliance
Kodak is putting a strategic alliance with Analogic Corporation
to good use, introducing at the RSNA meeting three digital radiography
systems that will be manufactured by Analogic.
Full story
Medical
center converts x-ray table to flat-panel, direct digital x-ray
detector
A team of radiologists and technologists at the Brooke Army Medical
Center in Fort Sam Houston, TX, have developed a method for upgrading
a conventional radiography table into a flat-panel digital x-ray
detector.
Full story
Toshiba's
new MR unit lowers the sound barrier
On the exhibit floor of the RSNA meeting, Toshiba America Medical
Systems (TAMS) showcased its new 1.5-tesla MR scanner, the Excelart,
which company officials claim is the quietest MR system in the world.
Full story
COLUMNS
CT
screening proves clinically valuable
A CT lung cancer screening program for high-risk patients over
age 60 detects cancers as small as 4 mm, about one-sixth the size
of cancers seen with radiography, according to findings presented
during a special focus session on Tuesday.
Moreover,
most of the malignancies were found at their earliest point-stage
IA-with five-year survival rates of more than 80%. With conventional
diagnostic tools, the overall lung cancer survival rate is only
12%, said Dr. Claudia I. Henschke, division chief of chest imaging
at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
Full
story
Liver
cell transplant acts as bridge to recovery, transplant
An unprecedented collaboration between radiologists, surgeons,
transplant specialists, and hepatologists is extending the life
of some patients with liver failure while they await an organ for
transplant.
Full story
'Scan
and go' boosts CT efficiency
Adoption of a "scan-and-go" policy for elective CT studies resulted
in a 43% increase in study volume and elimination of a patient backlog,
with no adverse effect on patient care, a Boston radiologist reported
at an RSNA scientific session.
Full
story
Ultrasound
holds value in prostate imaging
Despite declining enthusiasm within the urology community, ultrasound
remains a useful tool for evaluation of the prostate and diseases
that affect the gland, New York radiologist Matthew Rifkin said
at an RSNA refresher course on genitourinary ultrasound.
Full story
MR
spectroscopy yields clues into gulf war syndrome
Researchers continue to build their case that gulf war syndrome,
or gulf war disease, as some now term it, actually does exist, and
MR spectroscopy scans may provide crucial evidence.
Full story
Power
Doppler identifies sickle cell patients at risk for stroke
Power Doppler ultrasound is a valuable, cost-effective tool in
assessing risk of stroke in patients with sickle cell anemia, offering
a highly visual way to evaluate blood flow and arteries, according
to research presented at the RSNA meeting on Tuesday.
Full story
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CT
guidance challenges ultrasound
A comparison of CT and ultrasound guidance for percutaneous abdominal
interventions shows comparable room and procedure times, but published
data from the same investigators indicate CT time needs to fall
even further to be competitive.
CT may be closing the gap on ultrasound as the guidance for percutaneous
abdominal interventions, Duke University radiologist Dr. Douglas
Sheafor reported at the RSNA Scientific Session.
Full
story
X-rays
of undigested food mimic cancer
Pieces of undigested food in the intestines often look like malignancies,
fooling even experienced radiologists, researchers at the Medical
University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston reported.
Full story
Postmortem
CT and MR provide useful clues into cause of death
A few decades ago, the autopsy rate in the U.S. was about 50%,
but in recent years it has fallen as low as 15%. Reasons for the
decrease include but are not limited to cultural and religious practices
that make it difficult to obtain permission to perform an autopsy.
Full story
CT
screening prevents lung cancer death
New data from an ongoing clinical trial of high-risk patients
show that annual lung cancer screening with CT detects cancerous
nodules that are usually resectable and associated with favorable
prognosis.
Full story
Liver
cell transplant acts as bridge to recovery, transplant
An unprecedented collaboration between radiologists, surgeons,
transplant specialists, and hepatologists is extending the life
of some patients with liver failure while they await an organ for
transplant.
Full story
'Scan
and go' boosts CT efficiency
Adoption of a "scan-and-go" policy for elective CT studies resulted
in a 43% increase in study volume and elimination of a patient backlog,
with no adverse effect on patient care, a Boston radiologist reported
at an RSNA scientific session.
Full
story
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Technical
exhibits offer a stroll through toyland
- The
PACSman
RSNA: Not much different than child's play
fMRI
supports usefulness of acupuncture
A state-of-the-art imaging tool may help prove the clinical usefulness
of the ancient Chinese medical practice of acupuncture, according
to research presented at the RSNA meeting on Wednesday morning.
A group of radiologists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry
of New Jersey (UMDNJ) used fMRI to assess brain activity in volunteers
who had acupuncture treatments for pain relief. The preliminary
study tested both manual and electro-acupuncture.
Full
story
Self-hypnosis
reduces anxiety and costs for angiography outpatients
Hypnotic relaxation techniques help patients feel less anxious
during outpatient interventional radiology procedures and can be
a cost-effective adjunct to traditional drug sedation, according
to two radiologists at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center.
Full story
MRI
confirms, supplements ultrasound in abnormal fetuses
MRI is useful in evaluating fetal abnormalities that appear nonspecific
with ultrasound, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting
Wednesday.
Full story
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Technical
exhibits offer a stroll through toyland
- The
PACSman
RSNA: Not much different than child's play
Film
and digital mammography edge closer in study
The disagreement rate between screen and digital mammography
was found to be just 4% in a study presented Wednesday at the RSNA
meeting. Further, the authors said the disagreement between screen
and digital imaging had less to do with the technology used than
the way the patients were managed.
The
finding is probably the lowest level of disagreement reported to
date. Last year at the RSNA meeting, researchers reported a 17%
discrepancy between film and digital results in a screening population.
Full
story
EBCT
challengers still fall short
Electron beam computed tomography remains the standard for assessment
of coronary calcification, but other CT modalities also show promise,
according to presentations at the RSNA meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Full story
CT
tops plain film for lumbar spine injuries
Abdominal CT provides more accurate assessment of trauma-related
lumbar spine fractures than plain-film radiographs, results of a
retrospective study suggest.
Full story
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