MRI

MR imaging has demonstrated a high sensitivity for detecting ductal carcinoma in situ, and it could play a complementary role to mammography in finding and evaluating this very common type of cancer, according to a study in The Breast Journal.

Nationwide, an estimated 80% of alcoholics are also chronic smokers. Yet research considering the relationship between addiction to both tobacco and alcohol is scant.

Among European radiologists, concerns about ionizing radiation exposure give MR an edge in specific applications, including colorectal cancer screening in younger patient populations. But in the U.S., such concerns have not dampened enthusiasm for CT, particularly in neurovascular studies.

The market for 3T MRI is undoubtedly growing. Five years ago, few sites were using a 3T scanner for anything other than research. Now the higher field strength devices can be found in many clinical radiology departments and outpatient imaging clinics across the U.S. Clinical 3T is making inroads in Europe, too, though at a pace commensurate with its smaller MR base.

Radiologists can make a more accurate preoperative diagnosis of damage to knee cartilage by using four radiologic signs, according to a study from Duke University Medical Center. Using the signs to identify the extent and type of damage to knee cartilage makes interpreting MRI with a higher degree of accuracy easier for any radiologist, regardless of level of expertise.

MR imaging has a high sensitivity for detecting ductal carcinoma in situ and could play a complementary role to mammography in finding and evaluating this common type of cancer, according to a study published in Breast Journal.

A whole-body PET/CT scan can be used to stage and further pinpoint cancers spotted on optical colonoscopy, a research team for Essen University reported Monday. The team also reported that PET/CT scans may be useful in restaging recurrent breast cancer.

The most striking feature for me at ECR this year is the expansion of company-sponsored satellite meetings. Usually limited to lunch sessions, they now run in parallel to the proffered papers, competing with the scientific session marathon.

A small study from a breast cancer surveillance program of high-risk women found that annual MR imaging did not detect additional cancers beyond conventional screening with both mammography and clinical physical examination.

CT and MR angiography both provided more clinically useful information than duplex ultrasound in screening peripheral vascular disease. But when costs are factored in, CT emerged as the clear leader, according to a four-hospital study conducted in the Netherlands and described Saturday.

MR offers decided advantages as a tool for image guidance in radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors, but it also presents significant problems that must be overcome before its use becomes widespread, according to a pair of presentations March 5 at the European Congress of Radiology.

MR colonography has yet to capture radiologists’ imagination to the same extent as CT. But the radiation-free exam has a bright future, especially if stool tagging techniques can avoid the need for bowel cleansing, according to speakers from the U.S. and Greece at ECR on Friday.

As cancer is discovered earlier and therapy administered sooner, patients are living longer. The role of imaging in cancer is increasing, bringing radiologists closer to the heart of the multidisciplinary care team. A categorical course at the ECR explored this topic.

Iron oxide contrast agents could one day help identify vulnerable plaque in atherosclerosis patients, leading to therapies that could prevent heart attacks and strokes, according to a presenter at the ECR.

MR spectroscopy can help reduce breast MRI false positives, which tend to increase during certain times of the menstrual cycle, according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Philips Medical Systems has developed software that learns how technologists set up MR scans, then takes over for its human mentor.

Although musculoskeletal radiologists have long debated the relative roles of MRI and ultrasound in imaging shoulder injuries, they have reached consensus on a number of diagnostic algorithms. But the proliferation of inexpensive, low-end compact ultrasound systems has introduced a new controversy.

After reviewing the clinical literature on ultrasound imaging of the shoulder, Dr. David Stoller, director of musculoskeletal MRI at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, concluded that a significant amount of data was either flawed or inaccurate.

Who will speak for cardiac CT? Apparently, no one, when the setting is the annual business meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine's recently launched Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment Program offers online modules to help physicians comply with new maintenance of certification requirements, including 20 nuclear medicine-specific CME credits every year.

Scientists have known that meditation alters brain waves. New evidence suggests that the practice actually changes the brain's physical structure.

Celebrity endorsements sometimes stir controversy. The efforts of renowned poet and educator Maya Angelou to help Alzheimer’s disease research, however, come with blessings from the neuroimaging community.

Football coaches can’t foresee when their players might get injured. But musculoskeletal radiologists may predict who is going to hurt the most, and where.

Medical imaging is poised to play a key role in drug research, including evaluating therapy and characterizing disease.

Cognitively healthy elderly people who experience atrophy in the amygdala and hippocampus are more likely to develop dementia, according to a study in the January Archives of General Psychiatry.