CT

High calcium scores are commonly considered a risk factor for coronary stenosis, but even a zero calcium score doesn’t assure coronary health in a high-risk population, a pair of papers presented Monday concluded.

CT and MRI have a vital part to play in cases of head and neck trauma, but it is important to know which modality to use under the clinical circumstances, according to speakers at Friday’s opening session of the minicourse on major trauma.

MR systems used in cardiovascular imaging will inevitably have higher field strengths, including 7T, according to a leading cardiac radiologist.

Other headlines: TeraRecon upgrades Aquarius iNtuition at ECR 2009iCAD shows expanded CAD portfolio GE tunes into European concerns

CT and MRI have a vital part to play in cases of head and neck trauma, but it is important to know which modality to use under the clinical circumstances, according to speakers at Friday’s opening session of the minicourse on major trauma.

Multislice CT continues to spawn new applications in lung imaging, such as software techniques that allow depiction of airway morphology abnormalities in the prevalent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But radiologists are still not doing enough to cut the radiation dose while using the latest imaging tools, resulting in unnecessary and potentially hazardous excess exposure, according to some experts.

Yes, size does matter, but it is certainly not the only way to monitor the efficacy of cancer treatment. The way in which lesions are measured is extremely important as well, ECR delegates were told at a special focus session on the assessment of tumor response.

The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has developed a new set of Image Gently brochures for distribution in physicians’ offices to help parents appreciate the risks and benefits of medical imaging and to track their children’s imaging histories.

Slice wars have long dominated advances in CT technology. That situation is changing, and the market appears ripe for innovation. Energy-dependent imaging, a topic first aired over two decades ago, is back on the agenda

Speed and efficiency are two of the buzzwords used most commonly in the highly competitive field of CT imaging. When the wraps were lifted from the ECR 2009 technical exhibition, the dazzling improvements in data acquisition speed achieved by the new generation of CT scanners emerged. Vendors claim that huge improvements can be expected, in both radiology department workflow and patient safety.

CT urography with multislice technology has a very high spatial resolution for imaging the urinary tract. It can detect tiny urothelial tumors inside the intrarenal collecting system and ureter, potentially avoiding the need for more invasive endourologic procedures. MR urography is preferred for some patients, however.

Other headlines: Varian focuses on XR components at ECR 2009Konica upgrades CR mammography in Canada16-slice CT heads for U.S. market German IT firm readies QA software for ECR 2009Ziosoft taps managing director

A new formula proposed by the influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for calculating practice expense relative value units could cut technical payments for MRI, CT, and PET from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by as much as 44%.

The U.S. population underwent seven times as much ionizing radiation exposure from medical imaging in 2006 as it did in 1987, mainly from CT, according to a study released at the 2009 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements in Bethesda, MD. Overutilization due to self-referral appears to bear some blame.

Low back pain is so common a complaint that physicians increasingly are recommending against invasive therapy for any but the most serious cases. This approach has led researchers to back up a step in patient management and crunch the numbers behind the imaging procedures that are done to assess and monitor this condition. It’s not good news for radiology.

Just as arterial calcium predicts coronary artery disease, the presence and extent of fat accumulations around the heart may indicate the presence of atherosclerosis.

Japanese researchers have established by studying nearly 500 patients that ultrasound is just as useful as CT in diagnosing intraperitoneal free air in patients suffering from abdominal pain or acute injury.

A decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to deny reimbursement for CT colonography screening has shocked radiologists. News that CMS had deemed evidence inadequate to grant coverage left imagers not only dismayed but in disbelief.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed that payment for CT colonography be declined, saying there is not enough evidence to support it as a colorectal cancer screening tool.

Multislice CT angiography can save lives by identifying occult congenital cardiac anomalies and disease that could lead to sudden cardiac death among competitive athletes.

Fusion PET/CT detects an additional one-fifth of active lesions from the supraclavicular notch to the adrenals that are not found on chest CT alone, according to a retrospective study.

Analog Devices launches CT converter chipCook Medical refocuses on interventionsGE boosts claims, payment processingHIMSS registration sets record pace

JAMA study highlights CCTA risk, MITA respondsToshiba ties knot with Barco unitStentor founder joins Median

An international clinical trial involving 50 healthcare facilities and nearly 2000 patients has found that physicians often do not apply available dose reduction strategies in procedures, resulting in a wide variation in radiation exposure.

Vaccines, antibiotics, and other therapeuticagents have kept most infectious diseasesunder control in industrialized nations. Indeveloping countries, however, infectious diseaseshave been harder to contain.

Report claims ultrasound will buck economic trendClear Image, Siemens join forces for panel protectionGE, Medipattern extend alliance GE presses low-dose CT

An experienced radiopharmaceutical manufacturer and a leading nuclear power plant builder have joined forces to bring back molybdenum-99 production to the U.S.

The production of molybdenum-99 at the High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, may begin again in February, signaling the end to a five-month shortage of medical isotopes essential for nuclear imaging at medical facilities throughout Europe.

A National Research Council panel has concluded that commercial volumes of molybdenum-99 can be produced cost-effectively with low-enriched uranium. Mo-99 is the precursor of technetium-99m, a radioisotope used in most nuclear imaging procedures. The finding establishes a framework for weaning manufacturers of their reliance on nuclear bomb-grade uranium for Mo-99 production.

Researchers at a private diagnostic imaging center in central Florida have shown 3T MRI of the wrist is nearly as sensitive and specific as arthroscopy for detection of wrist ligament tears. MR could spot abnormalities missed by standard imaging tests and avoid needless surgeries, according to the investigators.