New computer-aided detection programs help less experienced readers find clinically significant polyps with CT colonography, but they prove less useful for experts, according to three studies presented at the ECR on Saturday.

MR colonography has yet to capture radiologists’ imagination to the same extent as CT. But the radiation-free exam has a bright future, especially if stool tagging techniques can avoid the need for bowel cleansing, according to speakers from the U.S. and Greece at ECR on Friday.

Low-dose CT can effectively replace plain film in cases of acute abdominal pain, with benefits for clinical diagnosis, according to a study by Swedish researchers presented at the ECR Friday afternoon.

Radiology in Asia is booming. The demand for radiology services is growing, and investment made by governments and private hospitals and companies in imaging equipment and radiology departments is increasing rapidly every year. This includes investments in PACS, RIS, and teleradiology networks.

Attendees at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting had four days to experience a Regional Health Information Organization in action at the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise Interoperability Showcase. By improving the state of system integration, the IHE aims to make information readily available wherever it is needed and to remove barriers to optimal patient care.

An insider’s view of the world’s largest integrated delivery network can be had for the price of admission this week at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting in San Diego. The Department of Defense exhibit at HIMSS showcases the healthcare IT programs that consolidate and manage an IDN comprising 70 hospitals, 800 clinics, 60,000 medical professionals, and more than nine million patients.

Improving informed consent is a $4.3 billion challenge that could be met if more facilities used their digital systems to automate the process, a pair of presenters said Tuesday at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting in San Diego.

Quantitative data and new radiotracers developed for PET/CT boost detection of lung cancer while reducing false positives, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting.

When it comes to spotting suspicious lesions on a screening mammogram, computer-aided detection is no match for a dedicated breast imaging specialist, according a large study by researchers at Yale, presented Thursday at the RSNA meeting.

Although neurosurgeons depend on preoperative functional MRI to map eloquent brain areas, technique standards need strengthening and reimbursement is nonexistent. The recent formation of a dedicated fMRI society is serving to galvanize interest and search for solutions to these and other issues, according to a Wednesday panel discussion.

Philips Medical Solutions wants operators of its MR scanners to work smarter, not harder. To help, the company developed SmartExam.

National societies and individual institutions need to firm up guidelines governing the imaging of pregnant women, according to several presenters at a special focus session Wednesday.

Although the debate regarding MR colonography screening lives on, European radiologists agree dark lumen MRC is ready for prime time, according to studies presented Tuesday.

With a mix of social engineering and Web-based dashboard management, the radiology department at the University of Maryland Medical System has reduced overall report verification times for its radiologists.

While women choose radiology for intellectual stimulation and job satisfaction, they consistently have to overcome the stereotype of the nurturing caregiver, according to survey results presented Monday.

Siemens demonstrated hands-off imaging at the RSNA with a work in progress that turns control of an MR scanner over to remote operators. The goal behind Expert-I, which is pending FDA clearance, is to allow expert collaboration on challenging examinations regardless of how far away the expert may be.

Digital mammography images acquired in a 64-foot van serving Washington residents are as good as mobile film-based images, according to a study from a Seattle breast center.

For radiology to move into the digital arena in underserved areas around the world, financial, cultural, and technological stumbling blocks have to be removed, according to a case study presented Tuesday at the RSNA meeting.

Academic radiologists usually cut to the chase in describing how imaging increasingly factors into drug discovery and research. They display cellular metabolism FDG-PET images or dynamic-contrast MR images quantifying changes in tumor vascularity. These glamor children of radiological research reflect the potential of medical imaging in measuring therapeutic response.

Budget-strapped healthcare providers can bootstrap their way into digital imaging with a new low-cost CR system from Radlink.