Improving clinical workflow in a university department

At Mannheim University Medical Centre five MR units are currently installed - the Magnetom Tim Trio, 2 x Magnetom Avanto, Magnetom Sonata and the new Magnetom Skyra, which was presented at the RSNA 2009 and is equipped with completely new software.

Updating opinions on radiation dose levels

Under constant and continuing debate, and given the increasing use of CT and interventional imaging, the issue of radiation dose management was the focus of an ECR session with Dr Manthos Koutalonis, Medical Physicist at the Barts and The London NHS Trust – Radiation Safety Group, as moderator and presentations by three key speakers.

Image Central for multi-discipline image management

Sectra launched a solution for efficient management of all medical imaging across departments throughout the entire enterprise, from radiology to the hospital photographer.

iNtuition from TeraRecon delivers at the speed of care

TeraRecon, Inc. announced new innovations to Aquarius iNtuition solution at the 22nd European Congress of Radiology, March 4-8, 2010 in Vienna, Austria.
TeraRecon’s iNtuition is at the forefront of technology evolution, at once providing enterprise-wide access to, and advanced processing and visualization of, the latest imaging data.

Molecular imaging in clinical practice

Over the past decades new imaging technologies have substantially broadened the range of imaging applications in clinical medicine. For years anatomical imaging modalities, such as X-ray and CT, reveal high-resolution information of organs and tissues over extended imaging ranges. Lately, however, the idea of functional imaging e.g. the visualisation of physiology in vivo gains importance.

Exploring a new universe

Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed done that.

Rise of the machine: Ultrasound technology crushing professional development and research

The past year has not improved the prospects for ultrasound, according to Lorenzo Derchi, MD, who chaired the session at ECR 2010 dedicated to « Future direction of ultrasound » and opened the discussion by saying the field is in decline.

The first MIRO … and the first steps towards guidelines

Clinicians gathering in Brussels for the first-ever conference on Molecular Imaging in Radiation Oncology (MIRO), from 18-20 March, will take the first steps toward setting practice guidelines for using PET scans to target radiotherapy, a task that will culminate with publication of these recommendations in September.

Emergency radiology

‘We are very proud that our country and our society has been selected to be presented during the special ESR meets Poland session,’ said Professor Marek J Sasiadek, Vice-President
of the Polish Medical Radiological Society. ‘The history of Polish radiology began in 1896, just a few months after Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery, when the first X-ray image was performed in Krakow.

Clinicial trial participation in breast cancer patients

An international survey of women with metastatic breast cancer conducted to evaluate their perceptions of quality of life and what additional medical information and support was needed to help them uncovered an unexpected finding. At a time when patients with incurable cancer are needed to participate in clinical trials, the majority of these women were never advised about any breast cancer treatment clinical trials or invited to participate in them.

Volumetric image analysis for a better evaluation of therapy response

Definiens announced the launch of Definiens LymphExpert Version 2.0 at ECR 2010. The Software application assists radiology professionals in the identification, analysis and evaluation of lymph nodes in CT images over time.

Philips' Imaging Highlights at ECR 2010

At ECR 2010, Philips launches the GEMINI LXL, the newest PET/CT scanner, offering many of the features available on premium systems for those working in the clinical areas of both radiology and oncology. Also making its European debut is DoseAware, a new dose-saving solution for interventional procedures. Furthermore, Philips presents its new Sonalleve MR-HIFU Fibroid Therapy system, which offers a non-invasive alternative to the traditional surgical treatments for uterine fibroids in women.

Welcome to ECR 2010

It is my great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the European Congress of Radiology, the flagship meeting of the European Society of Radiology, which over the years has become the central event in our specialty. For five days Vienna will be the world capital for radiologists with an interest in science, education and the development of our discipline. The goal of the ECR is to promote the highest quality radiology based on science and education.

Low dose CT wins the confidence of cardiologists

He literally wrote the book on the subject, so when Jean-Louis Sablayrolles MD, states that low dose computed tomography angiography (CTa) represents a ‘great revolution in cardiac imaging,’ his words carry the weight of deep clinical experience.

New Ultrasound system in HI VISION Family

Right on time for the 100th anniversary of its foundation, Hitachi Medical Systems Europe Holding AG is presenting the latest member of the new HI VISION generation at this year's ECR in Vienna: the HI VISION Avius. The HI VISION Avius is a user-friendly, digital and fully software orientated ultrasound system for modern diagnostic applications. Highlighted are its pioneering patient-friendly design and user friendliness combined with integrated sophisticated technology. The HI VISION Avius is a fully digitized ultrasound system offering practical and powerful solutions for everyday clinical applications.

DX-D Direct Radiography family welcomes new arrivals

Agfa HealthCare announces today that it will be showcasing some of the latest arrivals to its DX-D Direct Radiography family with two works in progress: the DX-D 100 and the DX-D 10C.

Sectra’s cross-enterprise products roll out at ECR

Sectra’s RIS/PACS enables workload sharing across multiple sites as well as handling of very large image stacks over strained networks. At this year’s ECR, the company is showing a range of products that further strengthen its cross-enterprise capabilities in radiology and mammography.

The growing need for ‘cloud’ computing

In June 2009, IBM introduced the industry’s first set of commercial cloud services. Based on two years of research and hundreds of client engagements, the IBM Smart Business ‘cloud’ portfolio aims to help clients turn complex business processes into simple services.
How does IBM explain what cloud services are? Cloud Computing is a form of IT use where the end user can utilise applications, data and IT infrastructure components in the form of services, the company explains.

Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging and Quantification

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging (ARFI) is a new tissue strain imaging technology that utilizes sound waves to interrogate the mechanical stiffness properties of tissue. Virtual Touch™ Tissue Imaging and Virtual Touch™ Tissue Quantification are available on the Siemens ACUSON S2000™ ultrasound system.

iSOFT achieves major milestones in the Netherlands

iSOFT has completed the implementation of Lorenzo 3.5 across all surgical departments at St Jansdal Hospital, Netherlands, with the latest release providing tools for patient management, results reporting, requesting and advanced clinical data capture, for 96 nurses and ten surgeons currently.

Montpellier CHRU installs ORBIS

Agfa HealthCare announced that it has signed an agreement with Montpellier CHRU for the installation of its leading Hospital/Clinical Information System (HIS/CIS) ORBIS across its seven facilities.
Montpellier CHRU is one of France's leading care facilities with seven institutions providing a full spectrum of healthcare. As an academic hospital, it provides critical care, teaching and research services. It is the country's fifth largest University Hospital and has 3,000 beds.

Laptop ultrasound system receives FDA clearance

Designed to meet the needs of today’s hospitals by combining portability with high-end radiology features, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.’s new Viamo laptop ultrasound system has received FDA clearance. The Viamo is the industry’s no-compromise ultrasound system with advanced radiology capabilities, previously unavailable on hand-carried systems. Toshiba’s Viamo provides the best value in the hand carried class by offering the same premier image quality as larger, more expensive ultrasound systems, but at a lower price point for hospitals.

iSOFT presents interdisciplinary PACS at the ECR in Vienna

iSOFT, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of diagnostic IT-systems for healthcare, will again be present at this year’s European Congress of Radiology (ECR) at Vienna’s Austria Center in March. The main focus for iSOFT this year is the new Picture Archiving and Communication System “iSOFT PACS”, which provides a complete solution for integrating imaging facilities like radiology, cardiology and oncology, and archiving and distributing images and diagnostic reports.

Insulin regulates itself

In type 2 diabetes, which is occurring at alarming rates, the hormone insulin does not work effectively to lower blood sugars and patients also do not make enough insulin. These two processes have been widely considered as separate. However, a surprising discovery was made by Joslin Diabetes Center researchers in animal models of diabetes: insulin is important in regulating its own production. Confirming this discovery, Joslin clinical scientists have now gone on to show that when blood sugar levels rise in healthy people, insulin signals the cells that make insulin to increase their production.

Biomarker analysis market has excellent growth potential

The 'omics' revolution of the last decade has ensured that the field of biomarker research will test the frontiers of biomedical research in the coming years. Biomarkers have a multitude of applications such as early disease detection, identifying potential drug targets, predicting patient response to medication and accelerating clinical trials. Along with its role in making personalised medicine a reality, this technology enjoys priority in terms of funding and investments. The promise of biomarkers to shorten drug development time and decrease costs in the long-term is likely to act in tandem to spur growth in the biomarker analysis market.

IQ is strong predictor of cardiovascular disease

While lower intelligence scores have been associated with a raised risk of cardiovascular disease, no study has so far compared the relative strength of this association with other established risk factors such as obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. Now, a large study has found that lower intelligence scores were associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and total mortality at a greater level of magnitude than found with any other risk factor except smoking.

“Get Serious” needs your support

Now firmly established within the social media world - with over 10,000 Facebook fans, over 2,500 followers on Twitter, and many more supporters across other sites - we need our online supporters to help with our 'Get Serious' campaign.

3-D views in the cath lab

New technology that allows doctors to see three-dimensional images of heart arteries in the catheterization lab passed its first major testing hurdle - moving doctors closer to understanding its impact on clinical practice, researchers report in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, an American Heart Association journal.

Blood test to predict rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers from University Hospital in Umea, Sweden, have identified several cytokines, cytokine-related factors, and chemokines that increase significantly prior to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease onset. These findings confirm those of earlier studies which suggest that the risk of developing RA can be predicted and disease progression may be prevented. Complete findings of this study are published in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

Green Hospitals: Sustainability is more than just ecology

Sustainability essentially includes ecological, social, and economic factors. This also
applies to healthcare and its service providers. For this reason, Siemens has introduced the “Green+ Hospitals” program. The “plus” in the name means that sustainability in healthcare does not simply equal ecology. In this industry it has far more to do with increasing workflow efficiency, improving the economic sustainability of healthcare companies, and simultaneously optimizing the quality of patient care, all while taking environmentally relevant aspects into account.

Radiology and the Law

The threat of litigation is becoming an increasing area of concern in radiology circles. The changing role of the radiologist with a growing workload and more information now available in imaging examinations, have combined with an expectation of greater accuracy from patients to raise the threat of radiologists being sued. This threat has reached such a level that for the first time, radiology and the law was being presented as a session at the European Congress of Radiology 2010 in Vienna at the beginning of March.

Nuclear medicine fuses with radiology in joint session

A special feature of this year’s scientific program at ECR 2010 was a joint session organized by the European Association for Nuclear Medicine with the European Society of Radiology. Two speakers representing the EANM took the podium to review developments in nuclear medicine and to challenge colleagues on specific applications.

Everything for radiology

First introduced at ECR 2010, Agfa HealthCare’s DX-M is a CR solution able to handle both needle-based detector plates (NIP), as well as standard phosphor plates (PIP). The solution’s ability to read NIP for Mammography requirements as well as NIP for general radiography means that the solution meets a market demand for high quality diagnostic images across needs, and offers potential dose reduction.

The new world of biomarkers

While biomarkers are acknowledged as useful tools in the early assessment of patient response to treatment, radiologists are less clear on how they can be applied in clinical practice. The ECR session Biomarkers: new word, new world, new work? explored a number of new applications for biomarkers with senior radiologists discussing their relevance in different areas.

The two faces of HIV/AIDS in the brain

The Opening Lecture at ECR always draws immense attention. On March 4th, it was the “First Lady of Radiology” as Congress President M. Szczerbo-Trojanowska called her, Professor Dr Anne G. Osborn, University of Utah, USA, who opened the event. The internationally renowned doctor of diagnostic neuroradiology spoke about “The two faces of HIV/AIDS in the brain” – a matter close to her heart as she revealed in her passionate presentation and “a challenge to all of us” as she emphasized.

Functional CT : A rising star flying without support of solid data

The fast-expanding capabilities of imaging with computed tomography (CT) can leave your head spinning, which seemed to be the effect on the participants at the New Horizons Session at ECR 2010 entitled ‘Functional imaging in CT: Optional or built-in?’

There is always urgency in pediatric radiology

Children will surprise you, and unfortunately they can sometimes hold big surprises for radiologists. At ECR 2010 four radiologists offered a series of pediatric cases in a session entitled, « Pediatric non-traumatic emergencies: What we must know!, » which covered children from head to toe, demonstrating that symptoms thought to be routine can mask more serious conditions

Meeting women halfway

Within Germany’s mammography screening programme, more than 10 million women, aged between 50 and 69 years, are entitled to a breast examination. It’s taken just over a year for all 94 of the country’s screening units to open their doors to meet this demand comprehensively.

MR-Elastography

Physicians, over many centuries, have depended on the sense of touch as their hands on method to detect diseases in many body areas. This technique is called palpation. However, though it was known that abnormalities in the stiffness or mechanical environment in tissue may have a profound impact on how many diseases progress, conventional imaging modalities could not display tissue stiffness in a quantitative way. More recently, Professor Richard L Ehman and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, in Baltimore, USA, have invented a technology for quantitatively imaging tissue stiffness. They call it MR Elastography (MRE).

Promising preliminary breast trial results

During a symposium at ECR 2010 SuperSonic Imagine presented the preliminary results of the largest breast trial ever undertaken by an ultrasound company involving 956 breast cases.
Some of them were presented to approximately 350 visitors by Prof. Ingrid Schreer, Kiel, Germany.

Nuance customers present speech recognition results at ECR

Nuance Communications, Inc, provides a comprehensive family of speech-driven clinical documentation and communication solutions that enable healthcare-provider organisations to reduce operating costs, increase reimbursement, and enhance patient care and safety. Two of Nuance's healthcare customers presented the results of their speech recognition implementations at the ECR in Vienna.

Every picture tells a story

Cardiologists are looking beyond on-screen images of the heart to extract data behind these scans that describe coronary dysfunctions and can reveal hard evidence of the cause of disease reports John Brosky.

US radiologists wake up to risks from high radiation doses

An estimated 70 million CT scans are performed annually in the USA, a threefold increase since 1993. US physicians rely on CT scans and other diagnostic imaging procedures to make accurate and speedy diagnoses and, until recently, they have not questioned the radiation dose exposure the patient receives. However, this attitude is changing, as physicians and other medical professionals realise that young and middle-aged adults have the potential to be exposed to too much radiation during their lifetime and face a higher risk of cancer.

Siemens showcases advanced ultrasound solutions

At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2010 in Vienna, Siemens Healthcare
presented its innovative ultrasound solutions. The highlight this year was the new release of its premium Acuson S2000 ultrasound system featuring significant advancements in ARFI technology (Acoustic Radiation Force Imaging) for the detection and quantification of tissue. Combined with a 3D breast volume scanner (ABVS), the Acuson S2000 is suited particularly for breast cancer diagnosis in women with dense breast tissue. In addition, Siemens introduced its latest mid-range ultrasound system, the Acuson X300 Premium Edition (PE) for routine clinical examinations. Thanks to ever-improving image acquisition, physicians have much greater diagnostic confidence with shorter examination times.

The diagnostic laptop

Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.’ reports that its new Viamo laptop device is ‘…the industry’s no-compromise ultrasound system with advanced radiology capabilities, previously unavailable on hand-carried systems’, adding that It offers the same premier image quality as larger, more expensive ultrasound systems, but at a lower price.

Is your head in the clouds?

The equation is simple: Hospital IT data is growing exponentially, hospital funds are not. Facing enormous data volumes and less chance of increasing equipment or staff, IT managers inevitably suffer headaches. ‘Cloud is really IT being delivered as a service over the Internet,’ Mark Clark explained.

Contrast agents

At this year’s ECR, new developments will be outlined during the Contrast agents: Experimental and Clinical session. Mark Nicholls spoke with the session moderator Professor Peter Aspelin, Professor in Diagnostic Radiology at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, about their potential.

Welcom to ECR 2010

Ultrasound device in pocket size

GE Healthcare presented Vscan, a new, pocket-sized visualization tool developed to provide physicians with imaging capabilities at the point-of-care. Roughly the size of a smart phone, Vscan houses powerful, ultra-smart ultrasound technology that provides clinicians with an immediate, non-invasive method to help secure visual information about what is happening inside the body. Vscan is portable and can easily be taken from room to room to be used in many clinical, hospital or primary care settings.

European Patients’ Forum Launches New Website

The European Patients Forum (EPF) redesigned its website as a vital communication tool for its members and for the health community as a whole. This decision resulted in an improved website which offers a fresh new look that technically provides its online visitors with significant improvements in navigation and easier accessibility for users with disabilities.
EPF President Anders Olauson says, “Access to timely, quality information is becoming more important for patients and their organisations. And information on research policies, opportunities and outcomes has never been more vital”.

Sectra to show latest advancements in wide area radiology

At ECR 2010 in Vienna, Sectra focus on solutions for increased productivity. Sectra RIS/PACS is a performance solution for wide area radiology. Built on the latest Sectra RapidConnectTM technology, it allows radiologists to work from any location that offers reasonable Internet access and to share images and information between multiple locations with ease.

Overall benefits of HPV vaccination

The overall potential benefits of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations or frequent HPV screenings for women over the age of 41 are low, concludes a new study published online February 15 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study found that the rate of new infections preventable by vaccination declines with age. Furthermore, new infections among women at any age typically do not progress to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN 2) or CIN 3, the precursors for cervical cancer.

New report on China's pharmaceutical and healthcare market

In the Q110 update of “China Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report” from Research and Markets, China has maintained its fourth place in the Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings matrix for the 15 key markets in the Asia Pacific region. Globally, the country places 18th out of the 71 countries surveyed worldwide, indicating its vast potential. Key attractions are its sheer size and the improvement of its economic and healthcare systems, although it is let down by among other factors rampant pharmaceutical piracy, substandard quality, bureaucracy and a poor legal framework. Nevertheless, regulatory improvements have occurred, including the recently implemented Green Channel approval for drugs that fulfill certain criteria which is intended to improve access to innovative medicines.

Twitter in the operating theater

In 2009, a handful of hospitals began to use Twitter to promote live surgeries. Broadcasts of surgical procedures using the Internet has proliferated with the almost universal availability of high-speed Internet, which makes streaming video possible. YouTube contains dozens of surgical procedures. There is even a website, www.ORlive.com, dedicated to live broadcasts and videos of surgeries performed throughout the world. It provides access to more than 650 live and on-demand surgeries to over two million visitors and 80,000 registered each year. The company says that 55,000 hours of streaming video are accessed each month.

Using Twitter for surgeries has generated much attention by the new media in the United States, even at a national level. But has it caught on and proliferated? Not yet.

Dalli to start as new Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

Eucomed, the European Medical Technology Industry Association, is pleased to see that the European Parliament hasvoted in favour of President Barroso’s new Commission team. The association especially looks forward to working with John Dalli, the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, and his team to address his priorities such as “the development of effective and efficient healthcare systems in all Member States”.

Endocrine Society: No change in blood sugar control goals

A study published this week in Lancet suggests that low A1C levels may be just as dangerous as high A1C levels in diabetes patients with respect to mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Upon review of the study, The Endocrine Society released a statement recommending against any wholesale change in glycemic goals and strongly encourages patients to discuss these issues with their diabetes-care providers.

Mammography with lower dose

Digital mammograms deliver an average of 22% less radiation than film mammograms, according to a study partially funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, Reuters reports. For the study, researchers analyzed the results of the 2005 Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial involving 49,528 women. That trial found that digital mammograms detected up to 28% more cancers than film mammograms in women under age 50 who had not experienced menopause and women with dense breast tissue.

Olauson receives royal medal in Sweden

Anders Olauson, President of the European Patients’ Forum was awarded with H.M. The King's Medal at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. This prestigious award was presented to Anders for his distinguished commitment in the field of patients rights and his tremendous support for families with young patients in Sweden . The King’s Medal is the second highest award that can be received by a Swedish citizen.

Adolescent obesity - a major European concern

Computer games, TV, fast food, lack of exercise – what will be the medical consequences of rising obesity in the young and what can be done about it? Pernille Due, at the National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen, studied 162,305 adolescents in 35 countries aged 11-15 years old.