GE Healthcare introduced at the 2006 RSNA meeting an upgraded version of its flagship CT scanner with software that cuts patient x-ray dose for cardiac scans by 70% or more. The 64-slice LightSpeed VCT XT uses a technique called SnapShot Pulse to change the scanner mode from conventional helical acquisition to step-and-shoot.
Computer-aided detection and colon dissection display software can improve the efficacy of CT colonography, but usefulness of both tool depends on the radiologist’s experience and preferred method of reading.
Canadian and U.S. radiologists may face different regulatory restrictions when it comes to use of ultrasound contrast, but both agree on one thing: the agents have a positive effect on clinical practice, according to studies presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday.
If you have been to RSNA in the last five years, you know that McCormick Place comprises three large convention buildings and that the meeting fills all three. Lectures and meetings are held in all three, with commercial exhibits in the north and south buildings and scientific exhibits confined to the East Lake building. Today I never left the East Lake building.
Studies presented at the RSNA meeting suggest that the promise of dual-source CT will be fulfilled by a big boost in temporal resolution and a corresponding increase in its sensitivity to coronary artery disease.
Sixty-four-slice cardiac CT may be the most disruptive technology to hit coronary artery imaging since the introduction of SPECT. And its influence does not end at the diagnosis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
PACS vendor CoActiv Medical Business Solutions highlighted a multimodality cardiovascular module for its Exam-PACS at the RSNA meeting. The new cardiovascular functionality combines local and remote viewing, management, distribution, and archiving of cardiac studies across several modalities, including nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, MR, and CT.
When I step onto the RSNA shuttle bus early Sunday morning, two questions dominate my thoughts: Am I out of my mind going to work at this hour on a holiday weekend? What’s the ambiance of RSNA going to be like this year?
Relying on CT multiplanar reconstructions alone to pick up cervical spine fractures in blunt trauma patients is too risky, researchers said at an emergency radiology session at the RSNA meeting on Monday.
Multislice CT allows accurate measurement, guidance, and assessment of several minimally invasive interventional procedures to fix pelvic, spinal, and other musculoskeletal lesions, according to studies from France and Germany presented at the RSNA meeting Monday.
Software developer Viztek unveiled Opal-Rad, a Web-based thin-client PACS with image streaming, at the RSNA meeting. Opal-Rad downloads applications from a central server, turning PCs into diagnostic workstations.
A superbug may be lurking in the remote corners of your MRI or CT unit. Unless you adopt a rigorous cleaning regime, it could pose a grave risk to patients, according to new research from Ireland.
German researchers have found that low-dose 64-slice CT colonography accurately detects colorectal polyps in a screening population. They also tested a new 3D visualization tool that enables simultaneous antegrade and retrograde views, significantly decreasing interpretation time.
The Molecular Imaging Zone, a new feature of the RSNA meeting, gives radiologists a chance to learn how molecular imaging applies to their current and future practice.
The era of 64-slice CT angiography as a tool to rule out cardiac catheterization in patients with an intermediate risk of coronary artery disease moved closer to reality at the RSNA meeting. A study confirming its superiority over dual-isotope SPECT for identifying CAD in these patients was reported in a Monday session.
The Axiom Artis dBA Twin, equipped with two 30 by 40-cm flat detectors, debuted at the RSNA meeting, positioned by Siemens Medical Systems as offering the largest anatomical coverage of any biplane system available.
Use of breast ultrasound and breast MRI in Medicare beneficiaries has been on the rise, but mammography utilization has not kept apace. Following a big boost in the number of mammograms in the late 1990s, growth has slowed in recent years. The reason could be waning awareness of screening programs or possibly a decline in access due to center closures.
News that two views are better than one with the emerging and promising technology of breast tomosynthesis raises questions about the technique’s practicality and cost-effectiveness as a screening tool.
Three-D interpretation tools have rapidly found their way into the image review process but seamless integration with workstations remains a barrier to widespread adoption, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Sunday.
You can tell a lot about current trends in radiology just by walking around the exhibit halls in McCormick Place. I can remember when some of the largest displays were film companies and x-ray tube producers. No more.
Just when the bickering about vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty seemed headed for history, several presentations at the RSNA meeting Sunday rekindled debate over the right fix for vertebral compression fractures.
Semi-automated vessel analysis software offered by five vendors tends to underestimate the degree of carotid stenosis, particularly at the higher levels that indicate a need for corrective action, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting Sunday.
Fatal complications resulting from interventional procedures can be avoided in up to half of cases if radiologists follow the correct procedures. Being familiar with good technique, understanding the desired end point of any procedure, and knowing when to ask for help are keys to success.
Positional MRI, which allows patients free range of motion during imaging, has allowed researchers to determine the optimal sitting posture to reduce chronic back problems. The technique may also be of value in future seating design.
Elasticity imaging with ultrasound allows radiologists to accurately distinguish benign from malignant breast lesions, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday. Researchers using the technique correctly identified both cancerous and benign lesions in nearly all of the cases studied.
Seeking to broaden the appeal of its line of gamma cameras, Philips Medical Systems released at the RSNA show today BrightView, a new SPECT platform that can be configured to meet customer demands for premium or value performance. The variable angle dual-head BrightView can handle any exam, including cardiac studies, even supporting multiple acquisition protocols simultaneously.
Although MR colonography (MRC) is proving to be an effective method of colorectal screening, patients are no more likely to accept it than optical colonoscopy, according to two studies presented at the RSNA meeting.
EDDA Technology introduced its enterprise-wide computer-aided detection solution for digital x-ray at the 2006 RSNA meeting. The new version of the company's chest CAD product, IQQA-Chest Enterprise, has evolved from a dedicated workstation to one that can be used on existing PACS review consoles.
Siemens Medical Solutions has launched its newly acquired MammoTest breast biopsy table at the RSNA meeting. Rights to the system were acquired by Siemens this summer from now-defunct Fischer Imaging in a deal brokered by the Federal Trade Commission. Managers in every country should be well versed on the prone stereotactic biopsy unit and ready to begin selling it globally, said Erica Rouleau, national sales director for women’s health at Siemens.
Noncathartic bowel preparation is not an obstacle to accurate CT colonography (CTC). Preparations such as fecal tagging, electronic cleansing, and the use of stool-subtraction algorithms produce results comparable to those obtained with conventional bowel-cleansing preparations, according to studies presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday.