RSNA

Nearly all lung nodules were segmented successfully with a point-and-click approach from four out of five vendor programs. Even with this approach, however, intraobserver 3D volumetric measurement agreement was close to but not 100% repeatable.

Confirma is showing at the RSNA meeting its breast MR coil enhanced with interventional components. Launched at RSNA 2006 as a purely diagnostic device, the Access Breast Coil is now outfitted with a grid plate and stabilization plate, a configuration cleared in July by the FDA. The four-channel phased-array coil was also modified to improve patient comfort, reduce weight, and increase physician access to the patient. The version slated for the RSNA exhibit floor is certified for use on Siemens Avanto, Espree, and Symphony MR scanners.

Philips Medical Systems is showing this week its next-generation large-bore PET/CT at the RSNA meeting. The new hybrid, appearing as a work-in-progress, combines the Gemini TF (True Flight) PET/CT with time-of-flight technology and the Brilliance wide-bore CT. The PET/CT features an 85-cm diameter for both PET and CT. Included are simulation protocols, respiratory gating, and connectivity for data transfer in radiation oncology.

Customers in the market for 16-slice CT have a new choice with the introduction by Hitachi Medical Systems America of the Eclos CT. The 16-slice scanner is designed for ease of use and low-dose high-quality scanning with optional 3D reconstruction supplied by TeraRecon.

While stress and personality have a well-established relationship with one another, they were also found to have a strong relationship to computer literacy within the radiologist community. Radiologists with lower levels of occupational stress and certain personality types -- high levels of openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness -- were found to be associated with higher levels of computer literacy.

An enhanced version of the z.one convertible ultrasound system, z.one ultra, appeared this week from Zonare Medical Systems. The upgrade automatically adjusts gain and brightness and traces spectral Doppler waveform.

TeraRecon is trying to blur the line between advanced 3D workstations and thin-client 3D with the introduction of new processing capabilities at its booth on the RSNA exhibit floor.

Vital Images is showing at the RSNA meeting an enhanced Vitrea workstation. Upgrades include cardiovascular workflow enhancements.

A major issue facing researchers who develop computer-aided diagnosis systems for early detection of lung cancer is deciding what in a CT image truly represents a lung nodule. An effort sponsored by the National Cancer Institute could be the key to getting around this problem.

When faced with the tall task of interpreting a set of poor-quality images, radiologists may grumble in their dark rooms or lambaste their techs in person. Imagers may feel their complaints disappear into a black hole and that it isn’t worthwhile to file a formal quality control complaint.

A new study suggests that in CT colonography scanning, 3D interpretation with 2D confirmation is better at finding cancerous polyps in an asymptomatic population than other approaches. The study also validated earlier large and widely publicized CT colonography studies that relied on 2D interpretations and produced less than stellar results.

Providers can eliminate the use of gadolinium-based contrast by using new pulse sequences from Toshiba America Medical Systems. The angiography techniques rely on differences in the MR signal that distinguish blood and surrounding soft tissue.

Yet another new technology contender has emerged to help overcome the 2D flaws of mammography and save women from false positives, anxiety, and needless biopsies.

Multislice CT is a promising tool for autopsy, and it’s likely that scanners will eventually be installed in many of the major medical examiner’s offices around the country. Who will read these cases remains to be seen, however, according to researchers from the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Utilization rates of radiological examinations in pregnant women rose dramatically over the last decade, driven largely by CT studies of the head and CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). In one of the first studies to evaluate rates of radiological examinations that expose pregnant women to ionizing radiation, the number of exams per patient population was found to have risen by 81% over the period, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting by Dr. Elizabeth Lazarus of Brown University.

American Medical Sales is showcasing at RSNA 2007 an all-in-one PACS product that combines display, processing, and storage. Listed at $8000, the new Image Vault hardware/software combo is designed for small imaging operations. It features a simplified user interface built into a touchscreen, fingerprint security key, and automated logoff.

A research team from Iowa has found that bone fractures, hypo- or hyperdense lesions in the liver and kidney, pulmonary nodules, and gastrointestinal wall thickening or fat stranding are among the most common misses by on-call residents in the emergency room.

An analysis of imaging data suggests that PET/CT should be the modality of choice for directing cervical cancer patients to appropriate therapy.

Wednesday is always my last day at the RSNA. I have tried in the past to stay the whole week, but Thursday and Friday I was a zombie. I wish I could go the distance, because some of the best sessions come at the end.

New capabilities debuting at the RSNA in the Emageon booth include productivity enhancements in and beyond radiology. Product enhancements extend the company’s Enterprise platform offerings for multisite PACS to teleradiology, while expanding its mainstream PACS into mammography.

Paramed Medical Systems showcased an upgrade to its U-shaped open system MR scanner. The 0.6T midfield system, MR-Open, now features a large field-of-view and a closed cooling system for the superconducting magnet.

Injections of corticosteroids and anesthetics guided by CT or MR imaging offer a reliable therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic lower back pain from sacroiliac joint lesions, according to researchers from Germany and the U.S.

Providers can eliminate the use of gadolinium-based contrast by using new pulse sequences from Toshiba America Medical Systems. The angiography techniques rely on differences in the MR signal that distinguish blood and surrounding soft tissue.

MRI has outrun other modalities in a screening trial involving high-risk women. Such research helps justify an estimated $1.4 billion a year in direct costs for the U.S. if new American Cancer Society guidelines are followed.

An abbreviated field-of-view can lead to a 48% cut in radiation dose for CT pulmonary embolism exams and 96% dose reduction compared to full-view 64-slice CT triple rule-out without affecting the diagnostic sensitivity of either procedure.

Siemens Medical Solutions demonstrated on the RSNA exhibit floor a novel marriage between industrial robotics and advanced C-arm technology. Its new work-in-progress, Artis zeego, is based on technology developed for heavy equipment manufacture.

In a surprising discovery, researchers from Germany have found that whole-body staging of patients with recently diagnosed malignant melanoma using either MRI or PET/CT could miss a substantial number of metastatic lesions.

Thomas Jefferson University researchers have demonstrated that a 64-slice CT triple rule-out exam can, with 99.3% certainty, dismiss the presence of acute coronary syndrome in the emergency room for chest pain patients at mild or intermediate risk for ACS. The test also diagnosed pulmonary emboli and other noncardiac sources of the patients’ discomfort.

Canon Medical Systems has taken concerns about falling reimbursements as the justification for a program in which hospitals and other medical facilities can upgrade their x-ray equipment with digital detectors.

Cancer of the lung is overwhelmingly the most common cause of suits involving thoracic disease, outdistancing by far any other condition within the confines of the thoracic cavity. Conversely, failure to diagnose gastrointestinal conditions is an uncommon cause of suits against radiologists, but perforated viscus awards are much higher than for other gastrointestinal conditions.