December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. GE unveils thin-client 3D system By Greg Freiherr After two years of R&D, GE Healthcare released at RSNA 2008 a thin-client server to support 3D visualization on PCs. The new AW (Advantage Workstation) Server allows access to and postprocessing of prior exams, according to GE. Its Smart Compression feature allows diagnostic review of full-fidelity static images, according to the company. …
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. GE launches low-dose LightSpeed VCT By Greg Freiherr A new configuration of GE Healthcare’s LightSpeed VCT cuts dose by up to 40% during routine imaging, according to the company. The XTe configuration, shown at the RSNA meeting, is the latest development in the 64-slice VCT product line launched in 2004. Previously the company introduced its SnapShot Pulse, a prospective gating technique for reducing dose when doing cardiac exams. …
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Fellows learning coronary CTA come up to speed slowly By Donna Domino Physicians who are experienced in performing multislice coronary CT angiography can diagnose better, but acquiring the expertise is a time-consuming effort. Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a study to evaluate the effect of experience with coronary CTA, which is becoming a practical alternative to conventional angiography, on the ability to detect more than 50% of coronary…
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Fellows learning coronary CTA come up to speed slowly By Donna Domino Physicians who are experienced in performing multislice coronary CT angiography can diagnose better, but acquiring the expertise is a time-consuming effort. Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a study to evaluate the effect of experience with coronary CTA, which is becoming a practical alternative to conventional angiography, on the ability to detect more than 50% of coronary…
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Database mining shows CT scans stable in children, climbing in adults By John C. Hayes Researchers using a massive database of radiology reports to identify 10-year trends in scanning practices found mixed results. The good news: CT scans of children increased only slightly. In adults, however, they increased more than 50%, with abdominal and chest scans leading the way. The study was reported Monday in an informatics scientific session that focused…
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Critical results findings: Prototype system tells you whom to call By John C. Hayes A prototype system developed by the University of Maryland was able, for a time at least, to dramatically boost and document the communication of critical results findings, according to a presentation Tuesday. It's since been sent back to the drawing board for more work, but points to a solution to a problem that vexes radiologists nationwide. Documenting the communication…
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Core64, Core320 coronary CTA trials cross paths at meeting By James Brice The 2008 RSNA meeting serves as a reference point of sorts for two important trials testing the clinical efficacy of multislice cardiac CT. Results from the Core64 trials of 64-slice coronary CTA were published Nov. 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine while plans for a Core320 trial were announced in Chicago at the RSNA show. Though sponsored by Toshiba America Medical…
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December 2, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Awkward, illegal patient info sneaks into PowerPoint files By Philip Ward Radiologists should take much greater care over the patient information contained in their PowerPoint files, according to researchers from the University of Michigan. "Think twice before publicly releasing PowerPoint files," said Frank Londy, RT(R), lead author of an informatics education exhibit at RSNA 2008. "Review common locations for hidden PHI (private health information)…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Black women stand to gain most from breast MRI By Philip Ward Breast MRI can have a positive impact on clinical decision making for African American women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, leading to wider excisions and mastectomies, according to a new study carried out in Ohio. Age is also a factor. "Younger women are significantly more likely to change their therapeutic management on the basis of MRI findings than their older counterparts," said Dr.…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Autistic children demonstrate measurable sound processing delays By Christiana Schmitz Magnetoencephalography technology used to study abnormalities in auditory and language processing of autistic children has demonstrated measurable delays, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, subjected 64 autism patients, aged six to 15, to audio…
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December 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 30 No. 12 Are the changes beneficial or even needed? Journals take up dispute over certification exam revisions, length of residency The wide-ranging debate within the pages of two of radiology's leading peer-reviewed journals includes proposals for yet another dramatic approach to reforming the residency and testing process: cutting residency to three years and moving clinical training to a year of fellowship. Writing in the November issue of the…
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December 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 30 No. 12 Age bows out as factor for recurrence in DCIS patients Younger women with ductal carcinoma in situ have traditionally been held to have a higher risk of recurrence than older women with the condition. A new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, however, challenges this view. Dr. Aruna Turaka and colleagues examined 440 patients with DCIS. All patients received whole-breast radiotherapy, and 95% received additional radiation to…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Younger ER pulmonary embolism patients could avoid radiation risk By Donna Domino More stringent criteria to evaluate emergency room patients under 40 years of age with suspected pulmonary embolism could decrease radiation exposure while also saving time and money, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting. Approximately $282,500 could be saved annually if different evaluations were used, said Dr. Wendy Silcox, a radiologist at St. Luke's…
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December 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 30 No. 12 Wine-based antioxidant may shield against radiation What could be better? A little wine, a little cheese—with a side of radiation protection. University of Pittsburgh researchers are studying the radiation protective properties of resveratrol, a natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and many plants. Dr. Joel Greenberger and colleagues at Pitt's Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation found that resveratrol,when altered…
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December 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 30 No. 12 Ultrasound unveils source of stump pain in amputees Inexpensive, interactive sonography scanning could beat limitations of accurate but costly MRI exams High-resolution sonography can accurately detect the causes of residual limb pain in amputees, according to British researchers, who found that ultrasound can guide proper treatment and rehabilitation, help educate patients about their condition, and even help with design and fitting of…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Trial finds digital mammography performs better than film By Rebekah Moan Digital mammography is more accurate than film for diagnosis of breast cancer in women with dense breasts, according to results from the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial presented at the RSNA meeting. Dr. Etta Pisano, a professor of radiology at the University of North Carolina, and colleagues, reviewed film and digital mammograms from the DMIST cancer cases and assessed…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Thin-slice CT tags subsegmental pulmonary emboli in oncology patients By Shalmali Pal Oncology patients have a fourfold risk above the general population of developing pulmonary embolism. If the patient is receiving chemotherapy, the risk is even greater. Irish radiologists have found that imaging these patients with thin-slice CT during routine staging or restaging can pinpoint clinically unsuspected pulmonary embolism. Dr. Michelle Browne and colleagues…
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December 1, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Sony shows mammo printer By Greg Freiherr Sony has unveiled at RSNA 2008 a printer designed specifically for digital mammography. The new product, called FilmStation Mammography Film Imager, model UP-DF750, features a high-resolution thermal printing system that uses specially engineered blue thermal high-density film. The printer can generate up to 90 sheets in an hour at a resolution of 606 dots per inch. …
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December 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 30 No. 12 Society starts molecular imaging trials network The SNM has announced the formation of the Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network, a multi-institutional effort to establish scientifically sound, efficient ways to evaluate proposed clinical applications of biomarker imaging. The network will provide investigational new drugs to the pharma industry and to molecular imaging researchers to develop the next generation of diagnostic and…
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December 1, 2008 Report from RSNA: Lung cancer staging undergoes major overhaul By Philip Ward The imminent publication of eagerly anticipated new international guidelines promises to transform the complex area of lung cancer staging. In two separate education exhibits at RSNA 2008, presenters from the U.S. and France urge all radiologists to become familiar with the seventh edition of the tumor, node, metastasis classification for lung cancer. The International Association for the Study of…
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