Logistical and reimbursement limitations dictate that most CT exams be performed on an outpatient basis, making it difficult to manage contrast-related reactions, especially in patients with renal insufficiency. Oral hydration may be as effective as intravenous fluids for preventing contrast-induced nephropathy in some instances, but further study is needed.

As the exhibit floor at the Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT was ready to open May 13, GE booth managers strategically placed signs announcing the FDA clearance of its new LightSpeed CT750 HD atop displays of the scanner’s components.

Siemens Healthcare cast its dual-source CT scanner Somatom Definition as the clinical pioneer of multienergy scanning, presenting its Optimum Contrast software as the means for improving dual-energy images created using injected contrast agents. Image optimization algorithms process data obtained at different energy levels -- 80 kVp to 140 kVp -- to create optimal image quality for the kinds of structures being displayed (soft tissue and vasculature, for example), according to the company.

Faster and better visualization are the main reasons to use dual-energy CT for the assessment of pancreatic masses, according to a presentation at the Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in Las Vegas.

Cystic lesions of the pancreas tend to be a phenomenon of aging. By and large, these lesions are benign, but sorting out the small number that have potential for malignancy is important.

Attendees of the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT will get a chance to visit a clinical installation of Toshiba’s new 320-channel CT scanner at the nearby Nevada Imaging Centers in Las Vegas.

GE Healthcare unveiled a new flagship CT scanner May 13 at the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in Las Vegas.

When it comes to radiation dose, the news media, and the general public by extension, zero in on one aspect only: risk, risk, and more risk. But what about any potential positive effects of exposure to ionizing radiation? In a talk at the Stanford MDCT symposium in Las Vegas, Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., took on the task of scientifically demonstrating that some level of radiation exposure may be a good thing.

Diagnostic power and field strength go hand in hand when it comes to evaluating multiple sclerosis.

Excitement is never in short supply in Las Vegas. But a new session at the 2008 Stanford International Multidetector-Row CT Symposium may give the casinos, cocktail lounges, and Canadian circus acts a run for their money.

Practice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical education and demonstration combined with the latest research and science in imaging informatics.

Studies described during a scientific session at the ISMRM on Wednesday showed that diagnostic power and field strength go hand in hand when it comes to evaluating multiple sclerosis.

New MR spectroscopy findings indicate that changes in brain glutamate levels reflect changes in heroin craving among addicts during methadone maintenance therapy. MRS may eventually help predict if addicts will relapse after treatment.

A clinical trial presented Monday demonstrated how complicated the quantification of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of suspected prostate cancer can be.

Radiologists can anticipate access to more web-based educational programming from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and a more intense international flavor in the society’s future work.

Medrad unveiled an educational program at the ISMRM meeting designed to teach the operators of GE Signa scanners how to perform prostate MR with its eCoil Endorectal Coil.

Siemens Healthcare is focusing on its 3T Verio and 1.5T Essenza at the ISMRM meeting. Both were unveiled last year at the RSNA meeting.

Visitors to the 2008 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine meeting in Toronto need only wait a minute for the door to swing from clinical issues to advanced research on functional and metabolic imaging.

Sophisticated pulse sequence developments and practical applications for diffusion imaging dominated the work of finalists selected for the ISMRM’s 2008 Young Investigator Awards.

Cardiac MR imaging with delayed gadolinium enhancement can detect silent myocardial fibrosis and other cardiac abnormalities in patients with systemic sclerosis, German researchers told attendees of a cardiac session in Vienna.