Technique proves more useful than calcium scoring in triaging patients for coronary catheterization

Definitive evidence that coronary CT angiography can replace conventional angiography is lacking, according to a report presented on the last day of the 8th Annual International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in San Francisco.

Widespread adoption of lung computer-aided detection is being stalled by obstacles such as false positives, image overload, and lack of full integration with PACS, according to radiologists reporting at the Stanford MDCT symposium Thursday.

Anecdotal evidence abounds for coronary CT angiography’s value in detecting heart disease in high-risk asymptomatic patients, and referring cardiologists are increasingly enthusiastic about its use. But do the facts support the confidence? A small new study suggests they do, at least for some referring doctors.

A series of prospective, multicenter trials comparing 16-slice CT angiography with conventional angiography show results similar to single-center trials, although CTA performance in some applications is slightly lower than previously reported, according to presentations at the Stanford Multidetector-Row CT meeting on Saturday.

With one year of 64-slice CT experience to draw upon, radiologists at Boston University Medical Center say the device has revolutionized head and neck imaging, particularly trauma cases. The 64-slice scanner’s high resolution and isotropic nature both contribute to highly valuable reconstructions, according to Dr. Alexander Norbash, radiology chair.

Pulmonary CT is helping pinpoint patients most likely to benefit from new minimally invasive therapies for emphysema, the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

One of the biggest mistakes made by specialists is overuse of CT in pediatrics, according to Dr. Donald Frush, chief of pediatric radiology at Duke University. As critical as multislice CT can be in evaluating pediatric patients, it’s not the right tool all the time.

Multislice CT is likely to take over and replace abdominal plain films if the CT dose can be reduced to a very low level. New research indicates that this is achievable, German radiologists reported Thursday.

X-ray tube current modulation, a popular feature available on newer multislice CT scanners, improves image quality but may result in a higher radiation dose, according to a report at the Stanford MDCT meeting on Wednesday.

Minimizing contrast while maximizing quality is a perennial challenge for CT imagers. But it can be met by following a few simple tips. The key is developing a protocol that makes the most of the contrast being used, said Dr. Michael Lev, director of emergency neuroradiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, speaking at the Stanford Multidetector-Row CT meeting in San Francisco.

CT scanning of pregnant women is the source of considerable anxiety. But data indicate that many types of CT exams result in a negligible radiation dose to the fetus and should be performed when clinically necessary, according to a physicist’s presentation on Wednesday at the Stanford MDCT meeting.

Clinical trials, practice issues, and innovation in CT will be explored at this year’s Multidetector-Row CT (MDCT) Symposium, held June 14 to 17 in San Francisco.

Clinical trials, practice issues, and an innovation in CT -- dual-source imaging -- will be explored at this year’s Multidetector-Row CT Symposium held June 14 to 17 in San Francisco.

A status update and news of the latest initiative launched by the Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process drew a near capacity crowd on Saturday, at the final session of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting. TRIP's mission is to identify more efficient ways for imaging informatics to deliver high-quality healthcare.

Hospitals typically add or upgrade scanners to their radiology departments without considering how the new equipment will affect PACS performance. Some administrators argue that there is no other way to do it. But Sergio Camorlinga, Ph.D., research and development manager of TRLabs in Winnipeg, Canada, may have found a better way.

A prototype system created by Canadian researchers uses data mining algorithms to automatically search, identify, and retrieve clinically relevant cases when studies are opened in a PACS.

Radiologists are failing to receive adequate clinical information about patients that could affect diagnostic decision-making, according to a survey presented Friday at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting.

Signal-to-noise ratio has long been the standard for gauging the performance of MR scanners. Its calculation, however, can be tedious, especially when several scanners are involved.