At last year’s European Congress of Radiology, research regarding 64-slice CT angiography was focused on its feasibility. This year, feasibility is no longer an issue. Rather, a wealth of evidence is being presented attesting to the fact that coronary CTA is a powerful and useful tool to evaluate patients suspected of coronary artery disease who are at intermediate risk. It is within this niche patient group -- those who would otherwise undergo invasive catheter angiography -- that coronary CTA is finding an affordalbe home.

Does software that flags malignancies on medical images help, hinder, or make no difference to patient management? That question has dogged radiology for years. Automated detection systems are undoubtedly becoming smarter, strengthening arguments for their use. But no system is perfect, and doubts remain, leading to a widespread policy of wait and see.

Around 10% to 15% of patients in the developed world die following acute stroke, 30% to 60% survive with long-term disabilities, and 20% to 25% require a hospital stay. These frightening statistics could be improved if radically different strategies were adopted for managing stroke patients, according to speakers at an overflowing state-of-the-art symposium.

MR imaging has great value in guiding treatment of breast cancer patients and is well worth the extra expense when used appropriately, according to radiologists speaking at an ECR session on Sunday.

Radiology must learn from the automotive and aviation industries to eliminate errors and improve patient safety. That is the view of Dr. William R. Brody, president of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who delivered Saturday’s W.C. Roentgen Honorary Lecture.

Patients with compressive or entrapment neuropathies of the elbow, forearm, wrist, or hand may go straight to sonographic examination. In skilled hands, ultrasound can produce images that reveal pathology as well as MR images can. But while the diagnosis of a tendon rupture is a relatively simple matter with ultrasound, to assess specific neurological injuries, such as nerve entrapment and compression, the technique requires considerable experience, expertise, and patience, said Dr. Javier Beltran of the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

“I predict that lung radiofrequency ablation is going to be very big indeed,” said Dr. Alice Gillams at the beginning of her two presentations on Saturday examining factors influencing tumor recurrence and incidence of pneumothoraces.

With thousands of papers, posters, and new product introductions, the 2006 RSNA meeting was so rich in content that you could find information to support just about any argument to explain what it all means.

What topics of research occupy the minds of radiologists? Dr. Peggy Fritzsche, chair of the RSNA Research and Education Foundation, revealed the top 25 questions in biomedical imaging and radiation oncology that the radiology community wants answered during the RSNA meeting in November.

PET imaging to diagnose brain tumor and monitor recurrence after treatment is an evolving field of research. Investigators at the RSNA meeting presented studies revolving around five tracers, as well as various permutations of imaging combinations such as FDG-PET with MR spectroscopy. While results are promising, challenges remain before any of these research avenues becomes clinically routine.

The total attendance tally for the 2006 RSNA meeting falls short of prior years despite a slight increase in local and international professionals. A drop-off in exhibitor attendance accounts for the decrease.

A consumer-grade monitor made by Dell Computers may be sufficient for interpreting radiography images, one of radiology's most demanding applications, according to a presentation at the RSNA meeting on Thursday.

Radiologists could optimize their diagnoses of lung abnormalities using computer-aided detection systems, provided they develop a better understanding of the strengths and shortcomings of every factor involved in the process. Learning this could save a day or two in court, according to studies presented at the RSNA meeting.

A prototype search engine uses advanced content-specific algorithms to efficiently search databases of image files contained in public Medical Imaging Resource Center storage servers. The search engine was developed as a joint project between the Baltimore VA Medical Center and the University of Maryland. The prototype is the alpha version of a vertical search engine designed to match users with radiology-specific content.

Two new detector systems entered the marketplace at the Canon Medical Systems booth this week on the RSNA exhibit floor. The Canon CXDI-50C Portable features a 14 by 17-inch detector plate. The Canon CXDI-40EC features a 17-inch square area.

CR vendor Radlink debuted at the 2006 RSNA meeting a value-priced system designed to help physician offices convert from film to digital radiography. The Pro Imaging will leverage the company’s existing lines, which include the CR Pro computed radiography system, hardware to digitize existing x-ray films, and software for managing practice workflow and data.

Houston-based Absolute Medical Software Systems introduced its RIS product at the 2006 RSNA meeting. The company has enhanced the practice management functionality of the RIS for claim submissions, insurance, and self-pay collection. The new features are designed to boost efficiency by eliminating duplication of data input and maximizing returns on claims processing, according to the company.

Nuclear medicine specialist Numa showed at the 2006 RSNA meeting enhancements for NumaLink, a cross-vendor data translation product, and NumaStore, a gamma camera and PET/CT image management system. The products promise greater connectivity within the nuclear medicine department and between nuclear medicine and radiology. Among NumaLink’s enhancements are DICOM translation capabilities for proprietary PET data sets, including those generated using Siemens and GE PET systems. The NumaStore upgrade supports Siemens’ preclinical microPET and the Inveon Dedicated PET small-animal imaging systems.

If you want to boost your chances of scooping up a coveted Magna Cum Laude (MCL) award at future RSNA meetings, you should submit an education exhibit in the multisystem/special interest category. That’s the conclusion many people will draw after two of the six top prizes went to presenters in this category, which attracted only 63 posters. Both winners hail from Asia.

The timing and place were perfect to let a larger audience hear what ultrasound insiders knew all along: Contrast-enhanced sonography could boost targeted biopsy’s power to detect prostate cancer and do away with the need for sextant or saturation-type biopsies, according to a study presented Tuesday at the RSNA meeting.