Emily Hayes

They are a major cause of progressive heart failure and death, but cardiomyopathies can be tough to spot for clinicians, and missed cases can have fatal consequences. During an ECR special focus session on Friday afternoon, expert speakers reviewed the use of imaging for diagnosing the mysterious condition and for mastering its many faces.

Multislice CT continues to spawn new applications in lung imaging, such as software techniques that allow depiction of airway morphology abnormalities in the prevalent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But radiologists are still not doing enough to cut the radiation dose while using the latest imaging tools, resulting in unnecessary and potentially hazardous excess exposure, according to some experts.

Busy users share triumphs and tribulations with state-of-the-art scanners in trauma cases

It costs just 16¢ per patient screened to ensure that women return for recalls after mammography, and the price is well worth paying, according to a study from Michigan.

Growing interest in dose reduction strategies took a prominent role in scientific meetings held this spring. In this roundup, Diagnostic Imaging highlights noteworthy presentations.

Researchers focusing on various image-guided methods also evaluate quality of embolizing particles

MR spectroscopy imaging is highly accurate for early detection of prostate cancer in asymptomatic patients, with 87% sensitivity and 93% specificity, according to new research from Spain.

As if CT colonography needed more good publicity, a multinational study of more than 20,000 procedures has found that the technique is safer than previously thought, with a serious complication rate of just .018%.

CT laser system and dedicated breast scanner show promise as adjunctive imaging methods

Percutaneous cryoablation is a safe method for treating kidney tumors in selected patients who are not considered candidates for surgery, according to a new study by researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and presented at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

Although fundamental research in biomedical imaging remains a relatively obscure field, some observers believe the future of radiology depends largely on developments in this area.

Provided cost-effectiveness issues can be resolved, whole-body imaging appears destined to enter everyday clinical practice as a comprehensive initial scanning method in oncology and other areas, according to an ECR presentation Friday.