Thinking Systems is showcasing its upgraded ThinkingPACS and ThinkingRIS at RSNA 2009, focusing on enhancements that support multimodality processing, especially for molecular imaging.

At RSNA 2009, Agfa HealthCare executives highlighted opportunities that could come from a pending deal to acquire a German developer and producer of generic contrast media.

A high-field, wide-bore MR scanner from GE Healthcare is making its first appearance at an RSNA meeting. The system, called Optima MR450w, was officially unveiled some three months ago, but RSNA 2009 is its first major trade show.

A preliminary study suggests that CTA can play the role cardiac MRI has been playing for detecting and quantifying myocardial infarction to estimate the potential success of coronary bypass graft surgery.

RSNA newbie Real-Time Tomography launched at this year’s meeting a new image processing and enhancement software library for digital mammography. But the product, dubbed Adara, will not be sold to providers, at least not directly. Real-Time Tomography came to Chicago with hopes of attracting original equipment manufacturers to its library.

Adding coronary calcium to the assessment of conventional cardiovascular risk factors leads to substantial improvement in cardiovascular risk classification of asymptomatic men and women, according to a study presented at the RSNA on Wednesday afternoon.

RSNA newbie Real-Time Tomography launched at this year’s meeting a new image processing and enhancement software library for digital mammography.

Using sophisticated mapping technology, census data, and state cancer registry statistics, researchers from Georgia established a link between the presence of Mammography Quality Standards Act-certified mammography centers and lower death rates from breast cancer.

Carestream Health showed at the RSNA meeting a work-in-progress upgrade to its PACS that will allow cross-site reading through a unified global work list.

SuperSonic Imagine returned to the RSNA exhibit floor with FDA clearance to market its Aixplorer ultrasound system in the U.S.

CT vendors have been talking for months about the potential of iterative reconstruction as the next big thing to substantially reduce the worrisome radiation dose patients are exposed to during multislice CT imaging. Now they have results of a large multicenter cohort study to add substance to their enthusiasm.

“Hedge” statements were found in nearly a third of radiology reports using a computer-based review system described in an award-winning paper presented Tuesday at the RSNA meeting.

MRI is the best method to assess breast cancer tumor size prior to surgery and after chemotherapy, according to findings from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network trial 6657. Size on mammography does not correlate with true residual disease in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and thus MRI is the best modality, the researchers said.

Radiation from mammography screenings may increase the chances of developing breast cancer for women at high risk, according to findings presented Tuesday at the 2009 RSNA meeting.

Findings of a study by California researchers suggest MR imaging could be a highly accurate tool in the detection of placenta accreta, the leading cause of death in women directly before or after childbirth

IT products ready for market and ones nearing commercial release punctuated the Merge Healthcare booth at the RSNA meeting. Two works-in-progress vied particularly well for the attention of visitors. One is the eFilm for iPhone, an image-enabled supplement to the electronic medical record. The second is the company’s FusionWeb Patient Access Portal, which delivers an Internet-based means for web-savvy patients to manage appointments, update records, receive appointment reminders, and view reports.

Despite growing concern over CT-related radiation exposure, measuring cumulative exposure from CT imaging in a standardized or formal way is not part of routine practice for ordering physicians in the emergency department, according to a presentation this week at the 2009 RSNA meeting.

To prevent errors and misunderstandings, referring clinicians and radiologists must show more restraint when using abbreviations, a U.K. study has found.

CMC-001, an investigational MRI liver contrast medium, may be at least a partial answer to reducing the long imaging times that have frustrated patients and encouraged radiologists to look for imaging alternatives to aid diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer metastases in the liver. A phase III trial indicates it is as sensitive as a gadolinium-enhanced MRI for detecting colon cancer metastases, but at the cost of lower specificity.

Siemens brought two blockbuster MR offerings to the RSNA meeting this week: the 3T Skyra and 1.5T Aera. The two new products, works-in-progress pending FDA clearance but scheduled to begin shipping by mid-2010, promise a productivity lift through their patient-friendly bores, measuring 70 cm wide, and automation that simplifies complex scan tasks.