Introduction

The rapid pace of change and advancement in medical imaging has progressed unabated this year. During the first six months of 2006, radiologists in research and clinical settings alike addressed a host of new challenges and presented their answers in forums ranging from society meetings to dedicated education courses.

The rapid pace of change and advancement in medical imaging has progressed unabated this year. During the first six months of 2006, radiologists in research and clinical settings alike addressed a host of new challenges and presented their answers in forums ranging from society meetings to dedicated education courses.

Fueled by 64-slice CT, interest in cardiac imaging courses is soaring and promises to spread cardiovascular interpretation skills to record numbers of physicians. In ultrasound, an emerging technique, elastography, is being refined and introduced into new settings. Beyond cardiac imaging, 64-slice CT is making inroads into emergency departments.

In MR, new acquisition and reconstruction techniques are being used for faster acquisition at 3T. In nuclear medicine, technical innovations are allowing faster PET and PET/CT scans. Vendors are also exploring fusion PET/MR.

In informatics, the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise project has demonstrated a strategy for networking PACS, a key step in the path toward wired radiology.

You'll find more about these and other key developments in part one of our first-ever midyear clinical update. Watch our August issue for part two.