
Emergency radiology
The injury was as spectacular as it was ruesome. Struck by a train a male patient was brought to the emergency department in Munich, his right foot hanging on only by muscle and bloody tendons, the bone shattered.

The injury was as spectacular as it was ruesome. Struck by a train a male patient was brought to the emergency department in Munich, his right foot hanging on only by muscle and bloody tendons, the bone shattered.

Putting patient safety first is a priority for both HERCA, the association of the Heads of European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities and COCIR, the European trade association representing the medical imaging, electromedical and healthcare IT industry, who are working together to address concerns related to radiation exposure in computed tomography (CT).

The next generation of integrated operating systems celebrated a world premiere in clinical use this November in Leipzig Germany. EH Correspondent Holger Zorn was there when Professor Gero Strauss entered the Surgical Deck of the International Reference and Development Centre for Surgical Technology (IRDC) as ´Commander`.

Much has changed for medical device manufacturers. Take scanner development; whereas the aim has long been to increase multi-slices, produce higher field strengths and sharper images, optimise the ergonomics and then launch the new product at a specific group of customers, in recent years this approach became insufficient.

The multipurpose BRANSIST alexa, which aims to provide total support for advanced catheterisation procedures, features a 12 x 12-inch flat panel detector (FPD) – an ideal size, the manufacturer Shimadzu points out, for covering interventions from head-to-toe, from brain blood vessels, cardiac and abdomen to peripheral blood vessels in the upper and lower extremities.

Moving from 6-slice scan to a 64 row CT, Vierzon Hospital steps up to advance functionalities and explores the potential for news types of examinations, John Brosky reports.

iSOFT Radiology reporting has been upgraded with complementary and double mammography reporting. This upgrade is available to iSOFT RIS users with immediate effect. The new workplace profile contains reports for correction and release, as well as the examinations to be appraised.

Prof. Uwe Nixdorff from the European Prevention Centre, Düsseldorf advocates cardiologists combine IMT measurement with ALOKA’s pulse wave intensity function to check for unseen coronary heart disease: “This technique is currently seldom used, however in my experience it provides a more complete picture and enables me to treat patients earlier for life-threatening conditions that are often…

Researchers in Sheffield have been given an mportant grant to trial state-of-the-art computer modelling systems that could provide a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with heart failure.

Reliable Cancer Therapies (RCT) celebrates the first anniversary of its website in style. The Swiss non-for-profit organization has completed comprehensive guides for cancer patients and their relatives, which are now available on its website.

Two years ago Dr Michael Michell and team at King’s College Hospital, London, set out to explore the benefits of tomosynthesis over conventional 2-D mammography. Their study has shown advantages in diagnostic accuracy and indicates that tomosynthesis could help to reduce the number of patient recalls for further examination and thus anxiety among women.

Whilst the benefits of teleradiology as a diagnostic tool continue to grow, concerns have been raised about the lack of uniformity in reporting protocols across Europe. Mark Nicholls reports

Traumatic injuries result in 800,00 deaths per year in Europe, making this one of the leading causes of mortality and the primary cause of death in patients aged 45 years old or younger. Depending on the type and severity of injury, usually trauma patients are treated by a team of experts from different disciplines.

Royal Philips Electronics is announcing 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the company’s first commercially available whole body positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging system, the Ingenuity TF PET/MR.

Carestream Health provides innovative digital radiography systems that satisfy these goals while simultaneously helping to reduce expenses for healthcare providers worldwide. It also markets powerful systems that efficiently manage radiology workflow—from the scheduling of patient x-ray exams to reading of those imaging studies by radiologists, and ultimately the delivery of radiology reports…
Using computed tomography (CT) imaging and advanced manufacturing techniques, a team of experts has created a reproduction of a 1704 Stradivarius violin. Three-dimensional images of the valuable violin and details on how the replica was made were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
By combining conventional medical imaging with some of the same 3-D modeling techniques used in Hollywood blockbusters, researchers are offering new hope to victims of serious facial injuries. Results of a new study on human face transplantation, led by Darren M. Smith, M.D., plastic surgery resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), were presented today at the annual meeting…

Agfa HealthCare announces that it will launch its automated DX-D 600 direct radiography (DR) system, which has received 510k clearance by the U.S. FDA, into the U.S. market at RSNA 2011. Combining user-friendly design with excellent image quality in a high-productivity direct digital X-ray room, the fully automatic system also offers the latest in state-of-the-art auto-positioning technology.

Siemens Healthcare launched the ACUSON S3000, its latest ultra-premium ultrasound platform, at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, USA. The new system includes advanced automated ultrasound fusion imaging as well as multi-modality review capabilities to provide additional clinical and spatial information in the analysis…
Amid increased scrutiny over medical imaging scans and the use of radiation, a new survey reveals that awareness and familiarity with medical imaging tests lead to clearer decisions for U.S. adults about their healthcare. The survey, released by the Siemens Radiation Reduction Alliance (SIERRA) – an expert panel established to advance the cause of dose reduction in medical imaging – evaluated…

In August, Bill Smith, Head of Ultrasound Services at privately-owned Clinical Diagnostic Services in London,UK, was particularly excited about advances in elastography and Fly Thru in Toshiba’s newly launched high-end ultrasound series Aplio 300, 400 and 500. Discussing initial experiences utilising the system, he said, ‘Fly Thru is opening up completely new perspectives for noninvasive…
Based in Guangdong, China (VR), the Shantou Institute of Ultrasonic Instruments Co. Ltd. (SIUI) has been engaged in the development and manufacture of medical ultrasonic diagnosis scanners, industrial ultrasonic detectors and ultrasonic transducers since 1978. The company reports that, from its beginning as a small scientific research institute, through the years SIUI has developed into a key…

Dr Katja Gabriel of the Hirschhauser & Gabriel Obstetrics and Gynaecology Practice in Erkrath, Germany, describes clinical experience with this novel technique and the resulting improved diagnostic accuracy.

Portable ultrasound just got more compact with the first transducer embedded with a full scanning system that plugs into the USB port of tablet or laptop computers.

On the occasion of Medica 2011, Siemens Healthcare has launched a donation campaign for “Doctors of the World” For every fifty Siemens ultrasound systems sold between October 1 and December 31, 2011, the company will donate one Acuson X150 to the humanitarian organization.