The steady rise in imaging data produced in radiology departments shows no sign of slowing, thanks to advances in scanner hardware and increasing patient throughput. Thinking ahead for expected growth has become more important than ever when planning a PACS implementation.

Software viruses could potentially bring a hospital’s electronic information system to its knees, leaving doctors unable to access vital patient data. Vendors and users of healthcare IT must work together to shore up their defenses, according to representatives of the medical devices business.

With three shifts, weekend staff, and portable, offsite, and outpatient units all providing computed radiography services, the radiology department at Texas Children's Hospital has plenty of incentive to standardize and improve the quality of the images it collects. With 70% of its case volume coming from CR, the department has been using PACS to track rejected images and develop training for staff.

Weakness seen in the CT market during the preceding two years continued in the first half of 2004. And the second half is starting out worse than the first.

Philips Medical Systems has followed the launch of its private practice cardiology CT system with a cascade of unveilings, each aimed at a distinct segment of the CT marketplace.

Primovist, an MR contrast agent designed to light up the liver, is ready for sale in Europe. The developer of the agent, Schering of Berlin, announced Sept. 30 that the mutual recognition procedure adopted by the European Union to expedite the availability of healthcare technology had been completed for 25 EU countries. The MR agent will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2005 in major European markets, except France and Denmark, which do not participate in the mutual recognition procedure. Sweden, which approved Primovist in March, served as the reference member state for the EU approval. The product was launched in Sweden in September. Primovist allows the simultaneous detection, location, and differentiation of various types of liver lesions, including primary tumors and metastases.

The flow of newly marketable devices cooled a bit in August, as FDA reviewers cleared 27 products for U.S. sale, down from the 36 that passed in July. In past years, the number of devices clearing the agency has trended higher toward the end of the year, as manufacturers made their final push to ready equipment for launch at the RSNA meeting. This year the extraordinary activity seen during summer may have set the stage for a change.

The worth of crystals used in SPECT and PET imaging is determined by how quickly they scintillate following the impact of a high-energy photon -- and how long it takes the flash to extinguish. The faster this cycle is completed, the more photons can be counted by the detector, leading to better image resolution and faster scan times.

If you think cardiology is the only opportunity for niche CT, think again. CT could well be on the verge of a major change in usage fomented not by technology but by perspective. And MR might not be far behind. As happens so often, history will guide the way.

Dural sinus and cerebral venous thromboses (CVT) are difficult to diagnose. Symptoms are often nonspecific and may evolve slowly, and anatomic variations can further complicate diagnostic decision making. Unilateral aplasias of the transverse or sigmoid sinus, frontal agenesis of the superior sagittal sinus, and high partitions of the transverse sinus are common pitfalls in the diagnosis of CVT.

The steady rise in imaging data produced in radiology departments shows no sign of slowing, thanks to advances in scanner hardware and increasing patient throughput. Thinking ahead for expected growth has become more important than ever when planning a PACS implementation.

Colorectal carcinoma is believed to be the third most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women in Western countries. It is curable if detected at an early stage and preventable if precursor adenomatous polyps are detected and removed promptly.

If you think cardiology is the only opportunity for niche CT, think again. CT could well be on the verge of a major change in usage fomented not by technology but by perspective. And MR might not be far behind. As happens so often, history will guide the way.