MRI

The lungs have quite literally been a black hole for MRI for many years. Now advances in hardware and imaging techniques are helping lung MRI move into the clinical arena.

Physicians have used palpation regularly as a diagnostic technique since the days of the ancient Greeks. Up to now, the potential value of this method has been explored in the imaging field only by ultrasound research teams, but at this year’s ECR technical exhibition, delegates can see for themselves how the same principles may be combined with MRI to improve diagnosis in patients with liver disease.

MR developments over recent years have allowed researchers to explore water molecule motion between cells using diffusion-weighted imaging to indirectly measure cellular density within a tissue. This has provided a new and continuously evolving tool in oncologic imaging for lesion detection, characterisation, and therapy assessment.

As Diagnostic Imaging previously mentioned, most women at high risk for breast cancer come in for their breast MRI. However, claustrophobia and reluctant patients still exist. Below breast imagers offer their tips.

The brains of 24 retired U.S. National Football League players with known cognitive impairment show signs of damaging atrophy, according to advanced MRI studies described at the 2009 RSNA annual meeting.

Recently, thousands of European radiologists have received an e-mail with this rather alarmist heading: “EU directive still threatens MRI.” Another e-mail doing the rounds has an equally sensational title: “No more MRI in Europe?”

Knee osteoarthritis progression can be predicted by MRI findings of medial collateral ligament edema, bone marrow lesions, and being female, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting.

Recent news coverage makes it seem as if women at high risk for breast cancer are refusing breast MRI screening left and right. That’s simply not the case, according to several experts.

According to an article in the January 2010 issue of Radiology women with elevated risk of breast cancer are likely to refuse an MRI -- even when it won't cost them anything.

Radiation plays an important role in the treatmentof primary and secondary centralnervous system neoplasms.

Though generally deemed safe, high-intensity focused-ultrasound ablation of liver and pancreas cancers can lead to delayed complications. According to Korean researchers, practitioners should be aware of-and watch closely for-local and systemic post-HIFU side effects several years down the road.

Knee osteoarthritis progression can be predicted by MRI findings of medial collateral ligament edema, bone marrow lesions, and being female, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting Thursday morning.

Toshiba laid the groundwork for entering the 3T marketplace in the U.S. with the unveiling of its Vantage Titan 3T system at RSNA 2009. The work-in-progress, which is pending FDA clearance, leapfrogs earlier generations of 3T scanners with a 71-cm tapered aperture and Pianissimo noise reduction technology.

Breast cancer detection rates increase substantially when women at high risk and those with dense breasts undergo mammography and ultrasound annually, according to a study presented Wednesday at the 2009 RSNA meeting. MRI is an even more effective technique when used with mammography, but only for women who are at high risk for the condition.

The brains of 16 retired National Football League players with known cognitive impairment show signs of damaging atrophy, according to advanced MRI studies described Wednesday at the 2009 RSNA annual meeting.

McKesson is showcasing its latest image management technology on the RSNA exhibit floor, a workflow enhancement called Variable Thickness Regional Intensity Projection (VTRIP), which promises more efficient reading of CT and MR studies.

An MR contrast agent for blood pool imaging once known as Vasovist reappeared at RSNA 2009 under the new moniker Ablavar.

A high-field, wide-bore MR scanner from GE Healthcare is making its first appearance at an RSNA meeting. The system, called Optima MR450w, was officially unveiled some three months ago, but RSNA 2009 is its first major trade show.

A preliminary study suggests that CTA can play the role cardiac MRI has been playing for detecting and quantifying myocardial infarction to estimate the potential success of coronary bypass graft surgery.

MRI is the best method to assess breast cancer tumor size prior to surgery and after chemotherapy, according to findings from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network trial 6657. Size on mammography does not correlate with true residual disease in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and thus MRI is the best modality, the researchers said.

Findings of a study by California researchers suggest MR imaging could be a highly accurate tool in the detection of placenta accreta, the leading cause of death in women directly before or after childbirth

CMC-001, an investigational MRI liver contrast medium, may be at least a partial answer to reducing the long imaging times that have frustrated patients and encouraged radiologists to look for imaging alternatives to aid diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer metastases in the liver. A phase III trial indicates it is as sensitive as a gadolinium-enhanced MRI for detecting colon cancer metastases, but at the cost of lower specificity.

Siemens brought two blockbuster MR offerings to the RSNA meeting this week: the 3T Skyra and 1.5T Aera. The two new products, works-in-progress pending FDA clearance but scheduled to begin shipping by mid-2010, promise a productivity lift through their patient-friendly bores, measuring 70 cm wide, and automation that simplifies complex scan tasks.

GE Healthcare unveiled at RSNA 2009 a software technique that uses low-frequency sound waves in combination with MRI to measure the elasticity of liver tissue as an indicator of disease.

Philips Healthcare executives believe the MultiTransmit parallel RF (radiofrequency) technology built into the company’s flagship 3T scanner will help make 3T a clinical workhorse.