GE to Showcase Interventional, Breast, CT and X-ray Imaging Innovations
GE Healthcare announced that it will highlight its new detection and guidance solutions in interventional imaging, breast care, CT and X-ray at RSNA 2012, in a press release received by ImagingBiz. These products include the Discovery IGS730, SensorySuite, and GE’s mobile X-ray line.
The Discovery IGS 730 is a new interventional radiology system designed to address the trade-off between ceiling-and floor-mounted systems. It is neither floor- nor ceiling-mounted, but enables full patient access with the mobility of a C-arm with the power and image quality of a fixed system.
SensorySuite, for breast imaging, is designed to
News: A Legitimate Way to Market Imaging Services
Last December, ImagingBiz reported WellPoint’s decision to cover low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screening in people age 55 to 74 who have smoked for 30 years or more.
The insurer’s decision was based on new research from the federally-funded National Lung Screening Trial that found screening current and former heavy smokers with low-dose CT scans was tied to a 20% reduction in lung-cancer deaths.
The news was a breakthrough in the typical process of coverage, yet, few imaging facilities chose to take advantage of the development.
One of the few exceptions was Atlantic Medical
Wednesday Bits and Bytes: Cancer Risk from Medical Radiation Overestimated?
According to a study presented today at RSNA, the risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from CT might be lower than we think. In a retrospective study of Medicare claims from 1998 to 2005 that included more than 10 million records, cancer incidences related to ionizing radiation from CT were estimated to be 0.02% for one group of patients and 0.04% for the other. “Our findings indicate a significantly lower risk of developing cancer from CT than previous estimates of 1.5% to 2% of the population,” said study coauthor Scott Atlas, MD, chief of neuroradiology at Stanford. “Regardless, the increasing reliance on CT scans underscores the importance
ACR economic update
At last, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the ACR’s economic update, delivered by Maurine S. Dennis, MPH, MBA, director of economics and government relations at the ACR. The room was packed with eager attendees as Dennis began her presentation on the expected pessimistic note. (Is it just me, or has the theme of this RBMA meeting been mordant pessimism?) Dennis illustrated the reimbursement forecast simply: a big orange arrow pointing down. The assembled audience laughed, of course, but I got the sense it was a laugh-so-you-don’t-weep situation.
“Just to give you an
What’s new in CTU
It’s a cool, sunny morning here in San Francisco, and the Stanford MDCT conference continues with Session V, looking at hepatobiliary and genitourinary imaging with CT. Knowing what urologists need and expect from their colleagues in radiology is particularly important as imaging continues to disseminate into other subspecialties, which is why I enjoyed Dr. Elliot Fishman’s examination of the pitfalls of MDCT imaging of renal masses.
Fishman noted that “there’s no one single phase that will visualize all the lesions” in the kidney, emphasizing the importance of both the non-contrast and subsequent phases—particularly
CTC: is the tide turning?
In the hours leading up to lunch, the talk here at Stanford MDCT turned to CT colonography, the hotly contested (well, by CMS, anyway) technique for virtually scanning the colon for cancer. C. Dan Johnson, MD, kicked off the CTC presentations with a look at the five requisites for performing high-quality CTC:
* Patient preparation * Colon insufflation * Scanning technique * Training of radiologist * Interpretation
Abe Dachman, MD, of the University of Chicago Medical Center, took the podium to elaborate on colon insufflation, sharing a few “tricks of the trade” with the assembled
Lunch date with 320-slice CT
I just had lunch with 320-slice CT. Well, not exactly, but the fine folks at Toshiba sponsored a delicious lunch accompanied by a presentation on the use of the technology in a community hospital. Dr. Jeffrey Dardinger of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Kentucky presented on how his hospital has been using their Aquilion ONE system in the year or so since installation.
In short, they’re using it everywhere. Dardinger described the system as a kind of one-stop shop for imaging. Positioned between the radiology department and the ED, it’s being used constantly—9,000 scans
Scanning thin, reading thick . . .
. . . and storing how, exactly?
That was the question that kicked off this afternoon’s session on workflow and image processing. Jeffrey Mendel, MD, began his presentation by observing that to believe the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, imaging is currently awash in exciting, amazing new technology. “But somehow that great new technology that I see on the cover of the times never seems to make it to me,” he said.
Why? Well, 3D image reconstruction and analysis are all well and good, but issues remain when it comes to storage of all
The ins and outs of implementing a 3D lab
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve contemplated opening up a 3D lab, I’d be a rich woman.
Okay, that’s a lie. But more and more imaging centers are considering taking their 3D interpretations off the scanner, out of the hands of the radiologists and into a separate 3D lab staffed by specialized techs. Techs like Laura Pierce, one of this afternoon’s presenters, who’s been doing 3D since the mid-nineties and, as such, is well aware of the ins and outs of implementing a 3D lab.
“You probably
Workstation face-off liveblog
Here it is, the entry you’ve been waiting for—the workstation face-off liveblog! For those new to blog readership, here’s how liveblogging works: I’ll update this entry continuously throughout the face-off, with my newest updates appearing at the top. Keep refreshing to stay on top of all the action!
TeraRecon’s up next. The presenter opens it up in a CTA protocol; the system removes the table and bone automatically as Dr. Herzog cleans up the image a little bit. Now he’s isolated the vessels and is cutting away an artery, then moving
