Philips Healthcare is differentiating its PACS at RSNA 2008 by offering a wide variety of ancillary and complementary functions developed by other vendors but presented by Philips as optional software packages geared to work with its iSite system.

Cohort studies presented in a scientific session Sunday showed progress toward employing coronary CT angiography to evaluate the patency of coronary artery stents.

Philips Healthcare unveiled two MR scanners on the RSNA 2008 exhibit floor: one at 3T, the other at 1.5T. Both emphasize productivity and clinical value, albeit by different means.

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.

Sony has unveiled at RSNA 2008 a printer designed specifically for digital mammography.

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.

In Pennsylvania, radiologists 65 and older read significantly more mammograms than any other group, according to an American College of Radiology patterns-of-care study.

Targeted radiation of breast cancer reduces treatment time from six and a half weeks to five days, while reducing pain and improving cosmetic outcome, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting.

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.

Results from papers released Sunday at the 2008 RSNA suggest that a less rigid approach to treatment, coupled with knowledgeable practitioners and judicious patient selection can improve the commercial prospects of outpatient MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of uterine fibroids. There are caveats, though.

Emerging opportunities in breast imaging have inspired CoActiv to tailor its Exam-PACS to handle breast-specific gamma imaging files.

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.

Competition among vendors hawking advanced visualization tools has heated up on the RSNA 2008 exhibit floor with offerings from standard-bearer Vital Images, newcomers ZioStation and FiatLux, and perennial rivals TeraRecon and Visage Imaging.

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.

Digital radiography specialist IMIX Americas introduced at RSNA 2008 two DR systems and software for processing radiographs. Designed for smaller facilities, the compact SomaRad DR system can be installed in rooms with ceilings only eight feet high. The ChiroRad DR system is tailored to fit chiropractic offices. IMIX workstation software, with an enhanced user interface, allows the seamless integration of digital and computed radiography components and improves workflow.

A new CT scanner built on Siemens’ unique dual-source x-ray technology promises to dramatically reduce dose and eliminate motion artifact in the chest. Using two x-ray tubes and matching detectors, the Somatom Definition Flash, debuted at RSNA 2008, opens the door to routine scanning of the coronaries, according to the company.

Patient comfort during MR and the efficiency of functional MR got a boost at RSNA 2008 with the unveiling by Resonance Technology of enhancements to its CinemaVision audio video systems and FuncLAB automated fMRI image data processor.

Preliminary results from American College of Radiology Imaging Network Trial 6657 show that MRI estimates residual breast cancer disease area better than clinical exams or mammography.

In a bid to extend radiation oncology applications, engineers at Philips Healthcare have widened the bore of the company’s premium Gemini TF PET/CT scanner to create the industry’s first big-bore hybrid. Priced north of $2 million, the Gemini TF Big Bore is scheduled to begin shipping next year. Philips is showcasing the Big Bore this week on the RSNA exhibit floor, and beta testing will begin at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in the next several months.

Sites saddled with an aging PACS have to worry, at least a little, about the transition to a new one. Homewood, IL-based Laitek considered the problem of getting from PACS A to B in the development of an enhanced data migration package, dubbed Migratek Version 2 Advanced Migration Services, which debuted at RSNA 2008.