Basic diagnostic x-ray services are a key component of primary health care delivery. However, two-thirds of the world's population is without access to it, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. The WHO further estimates that there is a need for one diagnostic imaging machine for every 50,000 people. The World Health Imaging Alliance announced that it has cemented key…
Berlin-based radiologist Marc Dewey will be awarded this year's Röntgen Prize for his work on the diagnosis of coronary heart diseases (CHD), one of most common and most dangerous heart conditions in the industrialized countries.
A coopetition study carried out by the CKM (Centre for Hospital Management) has shown that RIS/PACS technologies can contribute towards an increase in diagnostic quality, acceleration of processes and a sustainable cost cuts, writes Professor Wilfried von Eiff, of the Centre for Hospital Management, Westphalian Wilhelms-University Muenster, Germany.
Agfa HealthCare has released the latest version of its IMPAX HeartStation, a comprehensive management system for electrocardiograms (ECGs). Built on standards-based architecture, the system supports most existing and new ECG devices, integrating easily with the legacy hospital and clinic IT infrastructure and ECG workflow, Agfa reports.
‘Like the original Ode to the Liver, by Pablo Neruda, I too hope not to be betrayed by my liver. At least, not today!’
As in every medical field, children have special needs in radiology. Increasingly aware of this - and just as they must adapt scanners for increasing numbers of obese patients - manufacturers are sharing lively exchanges with practitioners to develop the most advanced equipment available for very small patients. At the Medical University in Graz, Austria, which has taken a lead in this…
University of Utah researchers have found that delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) holds promise for predicting treatment outcomes and measuring disease progression for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a little known heart rhythm disorder that affects more than 3.5 million Americans and causes more than 66,000 deaths a year. Their latest study on a novel application of…
Definiens, the number one Enterprise Image Intelligence company, launched its first computer-aided detection (CAD) application, Definiens LymphExpert at the annual European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, Austria. Now commercially available for European radiologists, the application assists in tracking lymph nodes of interest, facilitating earlier detection of the metastatic spread of…
Without developments in computers and information technology, medicine and radiology would not be what they are today. Data processing to an extent that a human being would never be able to manage, and transmission systems that make diagnoses independent of place and person, have made the computer one of the modern radiologist's most important allies. But which one of them is the boss? This…
Arriving at the Austrian Congress Center in Vienna, a pink truck is striking the eyes of the visitors of ECR. The truck took the long way from Belgium to Austria to demonstrate a pretty successful project of the University Hospital Brussels: A mobile mammography unit that examines women living in rural areas and who otherwise would probably not join the screening programm. The trailer was…
One of the most exciting innovations to be presented at this year's ECR (European Congress of Radiology), was be Viamo™. This pioneering product from Toshiba Medical Systems Europe is the first to offer premium technology in an ultraportable ultrasound system without compromising image quality or ease of use.
Within the last three decades, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance breast imaging has gone through substantial developments, evolving to become the imaging modality with the highest sensitivity for breast cancer detection. The indication to perform breast MRI ranges widely, including high-risk patients, dense breast tissue and therapy monitoring under primary systemic therapy.
Delegates at the 2009 European Congress of Radiology (ECR) saw a series of presentations Friday unveiling new findings and key updates on digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). As the body of research builds in this relatively unexplored field, the advantages and limitations of DBT compared with conventional full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and other modalities are becoming better defined.
On this years ECR Siemens Healthcare presents its dedicated MRI breast scanner. With it's pink design it immediately catches the eye on the company's booth. In an interview with EH, Boris Tolkien, Vice President Marketing Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Healthcare pointed out the highlights of the 1.5 Tesla system beyond its colour.
The Dutch screening programme, which began in 1990, invites women aged 50-75 years for mammography screening every two years. Today, the national programme is undergoing considerable regional re-organisation. As one of a team of 12 radiologists at the Alkmaar Medical Centre, Dr Shirley Go is responsible for Mammography and Screening in a large Dutch region. Daniela Zimmermann, asked Dr Go about…
The diagnostic use of ultrasound has improved significantly because of improved resolution and reduction in artifacts, allowing increasingly more specific examination.
For this year's ECR president, Professor Borut Marincek, there could be no more apt motto for the event than The Summit of Science. ‘Over the last 20 years, imaging procedures, particularly radiology, have revolutionised healthcare. At the same time, radiology as a high-tech discipline is dependent on an increased natural scientific and technological knowledge. Therefore, the objective is to…
Thanks to cell therapy, researchers have found new ways to understand and potentially treat heart diseases and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and cancer. The role of imaging is becoming more and more important, especially in understanding the action of transplanted cells in situ.
With cardiologists and neurologists purchasing imaging equipment for use by them in their departments, clinical education has become crucial to the survival of radiologists, for whom specialist training, with a focus on particular body areas, is also imperative, says radiological interventionist Professor Malgorzata Szczerbo-Trojanowska, President of the ECR 2010.
Toshiba's pre-opening ECR event on Wednesday evening attracted around 120 radiological experts who wanted to learn more about the company's technology in daily practice. Toshiba invited several highly-regarded radiologists and cardiologists from Austria and Germany who not only presented the diagnostic possibilities of the firm's products offers, but answered critical questions asked by the…
To date, there is insufficient knowledge as to the cause of this disease, or how to prevent it. We asked some of our EH correspondents to report on measures taken in their countries to ensure that men are made more aware of this disease and whether screening services are provided for early prostate cancer detection.
The recently published European Commission Communication on Telemedicine for the benefit of patients, healthcare systems and society has focused in particular on teleradiology, i.e. telemedicine services involving the electronic transmission of radiographic images from one geographical location to another for interpretation and consultation, writes Michael Palmer, Project Officer at the eHealth…
Lean architecture reflecting quality of care
In the sixth in his series for European Hospital, Professor Stefan Schönberg (left) of the Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (IKRN), University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, invited colleagues from Mannheim and Vienna for a round-table discussion on:
With 16 years’ experience in developing contrast media power injectors, Medtron AG recently launched the Accutron HP-D, which, the firm reports, is the only totally wireless, high pressure double-head injector dedicated to all vascular diagnostic and interventional procedures.