Few radiologists would disagree that computer-assisted detection in the colon has a long way to go before it is ready for routine clinical implementation. But once the technical challenges have been overcome, advocates for CT colonography screening will have a far stronger case, according to speakers at the Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery meeting in June.

Sixty-four slice CT makes all things radiologic better. The high spatial and temporal resolutions that work so well for cardiac imaging also improve other applications, especially vascular studies.

Philips and Siemens are delivering on promises made two years ago to develop ultrahigh-field MR systems. The companies are completing construction of several 7T clinical installations, each bearing the clinical front end of a mainstream MR scanner rather than the unwieldy controls that have marked previous installations. The ramifications for the MR community are enormous.

While the recent creation of the Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography may give birth to a new era of cooperation between radiologists and cardiologists, it might also sound the death knell for electron-beam CT.

Too many physicians are using subpar workstations to view images. Only about half of all primary workstations at a major tertiary-care hospital meet current criteria for minimum luminance, according to a new study.

A scheme that captures wet reads electronically at PACS workstations and then quickly distributes them promises to get urgent radiology exam reports back to referring physicians without delay, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

Reimbursement for radiofrequency ablation of tumors continues to broaden, with local Medicare agencies and most major insurers covering the procedure for unresectable liver neoplasms. Palliative RFA treatment of bone metastases follows as the next most widely accepted procedure. These positions are bolstered by existing CPT codes for the treatments.

July saw just one more FDA clearance (24) than the previous month, but the number of sophisticated submissions took a sharp turn to the north. Devices in image management and CT promise interesting twists on established offerings, while others in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and x-ray indicate expansions of some vendors’ product lines.

It was supposed to be a world-class IT network, one of the largest and most sophisticated implementations of PACS and electronic medical records ever attempted. But somewhere along the way, the U.K.’s effort to wire 150 English hospitals into the digital age has gone awry.

GE’s AMX mobile x-ray system, one of the most globally pervasive imaging platforms ever built, will soon be joined by a digital cousin.

China’s increasing demand for modern healthcare innovations has given a welcome boost to the makers of medical imaging equipment. With no sign of a slowdown in growth, it is little wonder that Siemens Medical Solutions is ramping up its investment in this market.

Much has happened in the year since the FDA approved the first MR-guided ultrasound device for the treatment of uterine fibroids. The pioneers of this new product area, InSightec and its imaging partner GE Healthcare, have launched initiatives to find other clinical applications. One is a pivotal trial of ExAblate 2000 for the treatment of breast fibroadenomas. Another combines two feasibility studies of the safety and efficacy of the device for ablating breast cancers and eliminating brain tumors through an intact skull.

Usually, the beginnings of great change are recognized only in hindsight. The exception to that rule may have happened Aug. 24. This was the day the developers of Cell Broadband Engine Architecture -- known informally as Cell -- flung wide the doors to the technical underpinnings of this new computing chip.

Usually, the beginnings of great change are recognized only in hindsight. The exception to that rule may have happened Aug. 24. This was the day the developers of Cell Broadband Engine Architecture -- known informally as Cell -- flung wide the doors to the technical underpinnings of this new computing chip.

Researchers in Iowa have received a $350,000 grant to assess the application of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for the treatment of brain tumors, according to a press release by Iowa State University.

When it comes to PACS, what some perceive as a turf battle between radiology and cardiology departments may actually be more cardiac manifest destiny. Often armed with more finances but less PACS expertise than radiology, cardiology departments tread in uncharted waters when making the decision to implement a PACS.

Radiologists may be able to decrease the time they spend looking away from images by funneling all of their reporting system interactions through a microphone rather than a separate report interface, according to researchers at the University of Florida School of Medicine.

CT colonography performed on a 64-slice scanner produces superior image quality and lesion delineation compared with exams performed on a 16-slice machine. The newer technology’s faster scan time also reduces motion artifacts, according to a scientific exhibit at the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology meeting in Italy in May.

The majority of patients at one institution who underwent a virtual colonoscopy procedure had extracolonic findings. This could be reason enough for radiologists to be involved in interpreting virtual colonoscopy exams.