Computer-aided detection, initially restricted to mammography, is entering the functional imaging arena. CTI Molecular Imaging is showcasing CAD technology during the RSNA meeting on its Reveal PET/CT scanners, as well as the Reveal MVS PET/CT workstation. Under a recently inked exclusive agreement with R2 Technology, CTI has begun offering the first commercially available CAD system for multidetector CT examinations of the chest.

As Medicare passes through the congressional mill, the focus often turns to radiologists and the increasing cost of medical imaging. A recent report by Blue Cross/Blue Shield stated that radiologists are driving up healthcare costs. But Philadelphia researchers on Monday concluded that it is cardiologists -- not radiologists -- who are responsible for sharp hikes in dollars spent for medical imaging.

The first day of the RSNA meeting is always the best, perhaps because I have the most energy and enthusiasm. Ten years ago I didn't get tired until Thursday. Now I'm tired on Monday. I would like to blame it on changes in the meeting, but I have the same problem during a normal work week at home.

The Biliary Wallstent from Boston Scientific has been used for a decade for palliation of malignant obstructive jaundice. Although the newer Luminexx from German vendor Angiomed offers several theoretical advantages, researchers in the U.K. have found that those advantages do not hold up under close scrutiny.

Virtual colonoscopy is gaining in clinical stature as a viable screening tool for colon cancer, with high sensitivity and specificity in detecting colonic polyps. But proper technique and good patient preparation are key to success, according to research presented Monday.

A vendor-neutral method for integrating case input from any PACS workstation into a teaching file system was presented during a scientific session on Monday."This method requires no vendor cooperation, effort, or software modification," said Dr. David Avrin, of the department of radiology informatics at the University of Utah.

Radiologists who are most experienced at reading virtual colonoscopy studies may not deliver the most accurate results, according to a pilot study presented Monday.

Running the numbers on clinical- and cost-effectiveness may appear to drain the excitement out of emergency room imaging. But simple, valid protocols that define how to apply diagnostic imaging to trauma cases are essential to obtaining the biggest clinical benefit from expensive CT technology, Dr. C. Craige Blackmore and Dr. M.G. Myriam Hunink said in their opening-session lectures on Sunday.

Clarify, a vascular enhancement option for Siemens’ premium Antares ultrasound system, has been added to the StellarPlus Performance package. Clarify, which uses power Doppler blood flow data, minimizes noise to better visualize intricate networks of small blood vessels and reduce the steps needed to complete vascular studies.

No longer separate entities, the technologies of imaging and informatics are irreversibly linked. It is impossible for even the most modality-focused attendee who enters the technical exhibitions in McCormick Place not to recognize this. "Integrated RIS/PACS" is the buzzword of the day, replacing the ubiquitous "enterprise solution" of so many past years.

R2 Technology has unveiled at the RSNA meeting a robust version of computer-aided detection technology programmed to find colon polyps. The company plans to take this latest iteration of CAD, first shown at the 2002 RSNA meeting, to the FDA in next year.

R2 Technology has introduced at the RSNA meeting its new dual-mode ImageChecker, a single computer-aided detection unit that can process analog and digital mammography images simultaneously.

GE Medical Systems Lunar introduced the Applause, a portable MR device, at the RSNA meeting. The system is optimized for diagnosing early signs of joint erosion due to rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of autoimmune rheumatoid diseases.

The clinical argument for speed may be up in the air, but the technological one appears settled. At this year's RSNA meeting, Siemens, CTI, and Philips are ready with systems that deliver faster scans or more rapid image reconstructions. The RSNA exhibit hall also plays host to PET/CT's past and future, as the work-in-progress 16-slice version of GE's Discovery LS appears as a commercial product and CPS talks up-and may even show off-its multihead R&D platform.

Since multidetector CT scanners began rolling off the production line five years ago, CT anigography has become a routine procedure, in many cases the procedure of choice, for screening patients for arterial disease. The reason is the ease with which it can be applied. Patients can undergo CTA without being admitted to the hospital and without invasive catheter placement. An added benefit is the extraordinarily low cost of a scan compared with the gold standard x-ray angiography.

ATLANTA, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Cooper Pediatrics, a solo-practitioner office using EncounterPRO, an electronic medical record (EMR) from JMJ Technologies, is winner of the 2003 Davies Award for Excellence in ambulatory care. The Health Information and

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) will bring together leaders in health information management and technology on April 28-29, 2004, to present a two-day Congress on "Practical Strategies for

CHICAGO and REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG), a membership community in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Users Group Alliance Program, and Microsoft Corp. today

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Roswell Pediatric Center, a Noteworthy Medical Systems user, has captured the prestigious 2003 Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence in primary care, awarded by the Healthcare Information and Management

The HIPAA contingency plan devised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should allow the industry the additional time it needs to prepare for implementation of the Transaction and Code Sets regulation. But the plan is also crucial to