MRI

An unconscious, outwardly unresponsive patient apparently was capable of understanding and responding to certain commands as measured by functional MRI.

No fewer than eight medical specialty societies, including the American College of Radiology and a section of the American College of Cardiology, signed off on a report covering clinical appropriateness criteria for cardiac CT and MR. In other reports, a cardiologist proposes an imaging fellowship for cardiology, and a radiologist describes a strategy to win the coronary CT angiography turf war.

Cardiologists will become increasingly dependent on angiograms generated using CT and MR over the next three years, according to a report released by IMV Medical Information Division, a Des Plaines, IL, market research firm. Within that time, cardiologists predict that CT angiography will take the place of SPECT and cardiac catheterization for evaluating seven of 11 major cardiac conditions.

Two investigative studies have found that MR angiography at 3T produces quality images of the kidneys and excellent cardiac cine images. Researchers used high parallel imaging factors and a 32-element phased-array coil to increase spatial resolution and anatomic coverage.

An international multicenter trial has validated the Edmonton Protocol for islet cell infusion as a fitting treatment alternative for certain patients suffering from type 1 diabetes. Results appeared in the Sept. 28 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Diagnostic Imaging roundtable tackles rationales and realities of efforts to rein in imaging use in radiology

Specialists apply complex analyses, innovative technologies to diagnose life-threatening injuries caused by blows to the head

High-temp superconductors, implantable ultrasound, 256-slice CT systems pledge to remake landscape of medical imaging

Correlation between pre- and postcontrast images of knees could influence treatment evaluation

New class of antirheumatic drugs heightens need to identify synovial inflammation and early bone damage

Insurers can set your head to spinning fast

Accurate needle placement requires instrumentationfor good imaging contrast and high spatial resolution

New advances in technology keep older modality in the picture for cost-effective cardiovascular diagnosis.

Ask any radiologist to name the fastest growing sectors of the diagnostic imaging industry, and you may get a variety of answers. Unquestionably, device manufacturers are reaping rewards from emerging imaging techniques, particularly new cardiac applications for CT and MR. And teleradiology companies are proliferating by filling the demand for nighttime and weekend teleradiology coverage.

Differential diagnosis of arthritic joint conditions and degenerative spinal disorders can be far from straightforward. Leading musculoskeletal radiologists at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna showed how careful evaluation of imaging data can improve diagnostic accuracy.

Researchers have developed a new computer-aided analysis technique to identify early cellular damage in Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the October issue of Radiology.

If you use ultrasound to guide steroid and anesthetic injections to treat ankle injuries in high-performance athletes, chances are you do not practice in the U.S.