Radiology's big show should be bigger than ever this year. Despite the sluggish economy, 60,000 radiologists, administrators and decision-makers are expected to descend on the Windy City in late November and early December. It is the place to go for healthcare decision-makers, affirms RSNA Chairman George Bissett, MD.
A focus on improving patient care and decreasing healthcare costs has created a need to centralize image and data access, enabling highly mobile caregivers to make decisions nearly anywhere.
Health information exchanges are expanding into new states and regions, delivering fast access to patient health information. But image exchange is all over the map. Some HIEs are exchanging images via cloud systems and viewers; others are looking for a business case and more seamless ways of exchange.
In November 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) shocked the breast imaging community with its controversial screening mammography recommendations, which included shifting the annual screening routine to a biannual exam for women between the ages of 50 to 74 and eliminating screening entirely for women younger than age 50 and older than age 74.
Launched in April, the iPad continues to make waves across the world. Technophiles, teenagers and grandmas alike love the iPad, which has been touted as the tool to mobilize business users. Apple has sold about 8 million, with many physicians among those who have been bitten by the iPad bug.
The nuclear medicine community learned many lessons from the shortage of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the mother radioisotope of technetium-99m (Tc-99m), during the recent shutdowns of the Canadian National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, and High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, the Netherlands.
Over the last two decades, PACS has grown from a bleeding edge technology that delivered a massive productivity bang as sites transitioned from film to digital image management to a mature, commoditized system.
Data are growing in size and scope. Radiology departments and imaging centers face unprecedented bandwidth challenges that stem from the need to store exponentially growing datasets. With bandwidth costs increasing and servers consuming valuable square footage, radiology is on the lookout for a new solution. Cloud storage may fit the bill.
MRI provides unparalleled soft-tissue contrast, but its drawback is its temporal resolution. MR imaging can take up to 20 minutes or longer. Several developments could accelerate and simplify cardiac MR to make it more competitive with cardiac CT.
November is radiology's month. As radiologists and allied professionals around the world gear up for RSNA, were anticipating a great show. The RSNA 2010 theme—Personalized Medicine—speaks volumes about where radiology is headed. As personalized medicine inches into clinical practice, imaging will take center stage.
