The RSNA’s Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting Program provides an encyclopedia of clinical innovations, issues, and trends in the practice of radiology. This year’s 912- page edition is no different. What strikes a reader of this tome, even without the presence of a subject index to reinforce the point, is the number of courses focused on utilization and technology updates for the all-digital radiology department.

A new line of mobile display workstations is moving PACS into the operating room. The Dome Surgery Review Cart family, released by Planar Systems at the RSNA meeting, overcomes problems that have kept PACS out of the OR. The need to maintain sterile conditions and limitations on space have barred the door to PACS.

Hologic, which in recent years has made women’s health its principal focus, is showing its full-field digital breast tomosynthesis system as a work-in-progress for the second consecutive RSNA meeting. Despite growing interest in this technology, the company expects to present it as a work-in-progress again next year.

Recognizing that PET/CT is quickly becoming standard in oncological imaging and that quality teaching materials are needed, Dr. Todd Blodgett has taken matters into his own hands.

The Access Breast Coil appearing for the first time at the RSNA meeting has a multichannel phased-array architecture to enhance image quality of the breast, axillary tissue, and chest wall. The investigational device, which is being shown at the Confirma booth, has multiple receivers to power the phased-array coils, which may reduce MR imaging time, as well as a large field-of-view. It can support unilateral and bilateral imaging.

Imagine turning minutes of downtime during the workday into valuable CME credits. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin have taken advantage of information technology to develop an electronic learning environment that provides radiological education on demand.

Fujifilm Medical Systems has combined its customizable Flex UI digital x-ray software application with the convenience of PDAs to introduce the FCR Pocket ID at the RSNA meeting. With the Pocket ID, patient data can be accessed quickly and verified at the patient’s bedside, permitting caregivers to increase efficiency while reducing the potential for medical errors, according to the company.

The disruption of dopamine transportation in brain white matter may be the underlying reason that children suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. In addition, MR diffusion tensor imaging suggests that drug therapy repairs the damaged fiber bundles indicated in ADHD pathology.

Siemens Medical Solutions has introduced at the RSNA meeting a digital enhancement and mobile flat-panel detector for its Axiom Sireskop SD. With the addition of those upgrades, all Siemens AX systems are now available in a digital format.

Although the globalization of everything from transcription to equipment assembly permeates medical imaging, radiologists need not fear that outsourcing will threaten their jobs, according to Dr. James Thrall, radiologist-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The growing popularity of noncardiac pacemakers is putting additional pressures on radiologists to recognize them on MR imaging, check for their proper positioning and complications, and determine the MR compatibility of the various devices.

CT screening of high-risk patients can find lung cancers early. It can also keep patients alive.

PET/CT is significantly more accurate than CT alone, PET alone, and side-by-side CT and PET when assessing the TNM stage of different malignant diseases. This diagnostic advantage translates into treatment plan changes in a substantial number of patients, according to Dr. Gerald Antoch and colleagues at University Hospital Essen in Germany.

Kodak is unveiling at the RSNA meeting the latest version of its RIS/PACS technology, a suite of products that supports native applications including 3D volume rendering. The enhanced version of DirectView System 5 allows improved customization and the ability to save display protocols.

Proponents of CT colonography may lower the bar in measuring the imaging modality against conventional colonoscopy. After a wave of mediocre sensitivity results, many experts are asking whether it should be compared instead with optical colonoscopy or air contrast barium enema.

The name may be Radiological Society of North America, but the society has seen major growth from outside North America during the last 10 years in both membership and attendance at its annual meeting, according to RSNA president Dr. Brian C. Lentle.

Blue lasers have a shorter wavelength than traditionally used red lasers, allowing more data to be stored in smaller spaces. Two companies promoting blue laser technology at the RSNA meeting are presenting similar claims and products.

A system that mines radiology reports for trends and findings was displayed during a scientific session Sunday.

GE Healthcare hopes that its flagship LightSpeed VCT will lift the company out of the slice rut into which the CT industry has fallen. The company is positioning the premium scanner as the first true volumetric scanner.

In an industry that has come to define itself by numbers, Siemens Medical Solutions stands alone. According to company executives, it's not the number of CT slices that's important, nor the number of channels carrying data from the detector, and not even the speed at which the CT gantry turns. It's the resolution and robustness of the system and its ability to meet clinical needs within specific budgets.