MRI

Philips Healthcare executives believe the MultiTransmit parallel RF (radiofrequency) technology built into the company’s flagship 3T scanner will help make 3T a clinical workhorse.

Siemens unveiled a new information technology at RSNA 2009: software that promises to do the tedious and time-consuming tasks involved in reading MR and CT exams. The new product, a work-in-progress pending FDA clearance, is an outgrowth of the syngo platform that Siemens has used for years to provide consistency in data processing among its modalities.

Digital mammography plus MRI is the most clinically effective strategy for screening women carrying a genetic mutation known to increase the risk for breast cancer. However, unless the cost of breast MRI decreases substantially, the modality doesn’t translate as cost-effective, according to a study presented on Tuesday at the RSNA 2009 meeting.

Using 3T MR imaging, California researchers have found that high levels of physical activity may be linked to knee abnormalities in middle-aged men and women. People between the ages of 45 and 55 who engage in several hours of walking, sports, or other types of exercise per week may be at greater risk of developing osteoarthritis than less active adults, according to a study presented Monday at the 2009 RSNA meeting.

The number of unidentified, not corrected errors in radiology reports of spine MRIs is significantly higher than that of corrected errors, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday.

Preoperative meniscal extrusion and the severity of cartilage loss and bone marrow edema can be trusted to predict the outcomes of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in middle-aged and elderly patients.

Lesion size, patient age, and current ipsilateral breast cancer are statistically significant predictors of pathologic outcome for nonmasslike enhancement lesions seen on breast MRI, according to a scientific session presented on Sunday at the RSNA 2009 meeting.

Radiologists will often not biopsy small lesions because they assume the lesions are benign. But the decision to do so could mean missing malignant cases, according to a scientific session presented Sunday at the RSNA 2009 meeting.

Patients with low back pain who live in areas with many MRI machines are more likely to get scanned and undergo surgery than those in low-availability areas, according to a study looking at Medicare claims data. Patients with low back pain, however, rarely benefit from MRI scans or surgery, so the procedures are often unnecessary.

Patients want rapid access to the results of preliminary readings, which helps avoid frustration due to long response times and cryptic reports.

The evolution of neuroradiological research from anatomy to biochemistry can be seen in the frequency with which MRI techniques have led to research that will be presented at the 2009 RSNA meeting. Nearly all of the hottest papers this year employ some form of physiological or metabolic imaging.

Combining T2-weighted MRI to detect microvascular obstructions with delayed-enhancement imaging to measure myocardial viability offers clinicians a better way to assess myocardial infarction, according to a new study from Japan.

The American College of Radiology is predicting that imaging access will plunge and patient waiting times will soar from new Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rules that will cut Medicare payments for outpatient imaging by an estimated 16% next year.

CMS will increase the equipment utilization rate assumption used to determine the practice expense for all nontherapeutic medical equipment, including diagnostic imaging systems, from 50% to 90% under new Medicare fee schedule rules announced Friday. In a bit of good news for radiology, CMS said it remains on track to require that suppliers of advanced imaging services become accredited by 2012.

Specialties outside of radiology could benefit from unified databases and iPhone applications.

Diverse capabilities in MR reflect the corporate philosophies of individual vendors, as well as how they see opportunities in the marketplace and seek to capitalize on them

Progress in wide-bore technology precedes advances of Healthymagination initiative.

Workflow, patient comfort, image quality rise with innovative devices and applications.

Efforts to increase comfort result in speedier exams and improved image quality.

MultiTransmit technology enables customers to realize 3T benefits in breast, body imaging.

Feet-first and ‘boreless’ magnets address clinical and patient comfort needs.

A forward-looking commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association and related news coverage in The New York Times have drawn public attention to the diagnostic limitations of mammography and prostate cancer screening and future opportunities to develop better tests.

From the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation & Fibroid ReliefA new research center for MR-guided focused ultrasound ablation at the University of Virginia is aiming to become a leader in translational and clinical research for emerging interventional procedures.

MRI has been adopted as a definitive measure for fair play by the International Federation of Association Football, the governing body for international soccer competition. FIFA will launch a program of random MRI wrist screening to verify the age of players competing in the Under-17 World Cup hosted by Nigeria Oct. 24 through Nov. 15.

MRI, possibly employing higher field strengths and dedicated breast coils, should be used more often for detecting ductal carcinoma in situ, according to a panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.

With the goal of tailoring cancer interventions for the individual, researchers at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University have published the results of a prospective study that validates the use of a simple blood test to help doctors more reliably assess treatment effectiveness for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

On the eve of a major presidential speech on healthcare reform, medical imaging advocates weighed in with political broadsides urging Congress to set aside legislative proposals they say will harm imaging device sales and clinical practices.

A review article asserting breast MRI does not improve surgical planning, reduce follow-up surgeries, or reduce the risk of local recurrences is drawing fire in the breast imaging community.

When it comes to determining the cause of death for fetuses, parents may have another option besides conventional autopsy. Whole-body high-field MRI offers a reliable option for postmortem exams in a less invasive way, according to British researchers.

Findings from a survey of 100 imaging centers suggest that MRI scanning facilities, particularly those run independently from hospitals, lack basic infection-control procedures. Patients and staff could be at risk of contracting and spreading life-threatening diseases during MRI exams.