Intraprocedural contrast-enhanced CT helped reduce the rate of incompletely treated renal cell carcinoma lesions by approximately 64%, according to a study presented during the Interventional Oncology Symposium at the 2005 RSNA meeting.

Journal articles this month compare different methods for treating kidney tumors, review new minimally invasive treatments for prostate lesions, and explain new techniques.

Journal articles this month include a look at RFA for prostate cancer, factors that influence thermal lesion sizes, and the incidence of postablation syndrome.

Researchers continue to build the case for RFA with new data showing the procedure to be an effective alternative to surgery for the treatment of liver, lung, and kidney malignancies. Results were presented at the Interventional Oncology Symposium in December.

New imaging techniques and methods spotlighted in December at a special Interventional Oncology Symposium can help reduce the rate of recurring tumors, find disease that was missed in the first phase of treatment, and make ablation more practical.

A special Interventional Oncology Symposium held at the RSNA meeting in December confirmed tumor ablation’s status as an accepted and growing therapy. The symposium, cosponsored by the RSNA and the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation, drew standing room-only crowds to presentations about ablation and embolization methods, new technologies, and the basic science behind interventional oncology.

As computer-aided detection continues to make inroads into virtual colonoscopy territory, studies presented at the 2005 RSNA meeting highlighted its potential for spotting polyps.

A few years back I made a bet that molecular imaging would become nothing more than a synonym for nuclear medicine. At the time it made sense, what with companies parking their gamma cameras and PET/CTs under this title. But since then, you might say I’ve seen the light.

Philips makes MR smarter, fasterSmartExam helps operators of Philips MR scanners work smarter, not harder. The technology, developed by Philips Medical Solutions and shown at the RSNA meeting, automates the planning, scanning, and processing of MR images. This promises to decrease overall exam time while increasing consistency and reliability, according to the company. The algorithm runs on all Philips MR systems.

During the 2004 RSNA meeting, it looked as if two of the big film-based radiology players now transitioning to digital medical information, Agfa and Kodak, were set for a run at the electronic medical record.

Siemens embraced customers 10 years ago as integral to its operations. When developing new technologies, engineers turn to customers early on to make sure their ideas have clinical value. This has led to some risk-taking, as evidenced by the introduction at the RSNA meeting of the Somatom Definition, a unique CT scanner that boosts speed and data collection by using dual detectors and tubes.