
Interview • Paediatric imaging
Ultrasound contrast agents are considered a medical drug
Paediatric imaging is a subspecialty that uses a diverse range of imaging systems, from classical X-ray to ultrasound, CT and MR.

Paediatric imaging is a subspecialty that uses a diverse range of imaging systems, from classical X-ray to ultrasound, CT and MR.

Seattle-based medical ultrasound systems manufacturer SonoSite has aimed to take ultrasound to the point of care (POC) since it was owned by ATL. The parent company had gained a contract from the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a lightweight ultrasound device for military use.

‘In imaging there is a trend towards quantification,’ said Professor Siegfried Trattnig, Medical Director of the High-Field MR Centre (HFMRC) at the Medical University Vienna, Austria. Whilst before, radiologists’ findings were subjective, qualitative results, based on signal intensity and grey scale, he pointed out. ‘Today imaging can draw on quantifiable and comparable parameters with…

‘Already used in adults for several years, elastography is a promising tool in paediatric imaging,’ according to radiologist Dr Mehrak Anooshiravani-Dumont, from Geneva University Hospital. ‘It allows detection of changes in the mechanical properties of tissues, such as fibrosis, based on viscoelastic characteristics.‘

Radiology is going beyond assessing body fat, bringing a notable contribution in weight loss therapy. Clifford Weiss from Johns Hopkins University is one of the pioneers of a new procedure, bariatric arterial embolisation, details of which he will unveil at the ECR 2016.

Last year, the DMS Group acquired 100% of the capital of AXS Medical, a French start-up specialized in developing diagnostic tools used for spinal pathologies.

The annual congress of the ESR is a great showcase for the latest advances in the imaging sciences and an important platform to see where the industry is heading.

Vendor Neutral Archives (VNA) will become an integral part of every hospital in the near future. So what’s a VNA?

Tomosynthesis is an advanced application that allows a multi-slice acquisition and provides a reconstruction of a volume. Several acquisitions at low dose are acquired with a single sweep of the X-Ray tube around the region of interest.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are rare – yet they are far more difficult to diagnose and highly variable. Professor Julien Dinkel, consultant at the Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital in Munich, deals with these rarities.

Using an iodinated contrast agent, I-View software on the Hologic tomosynthesis system enables the user to image the functional 2-D contrast uptake and the morphological mammography images in rapid sequence and combine these three image sets into a single co-registered study.

Results from recent trials are promising: an almost 40% increased breast cancer detection rate from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screening compared to conventional mammography.

Congress president Professor Katrine Åhlström Riklund, Deputy Head of the Department of Radiation Sciences and Director of the Medical School at Umeå University, Sweden, as a representative of two professions – radiologist and nuclear physician – has shaped the face of the congress.

CT angiography (CTA) is evolving from a morphological – anatomical – to a functional imaging modality. In the past two years, cardiac CT perfusion measurement techniques were launched that predict which lesion will cause a reduction in blood flow.

A pioneer in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging, NewTom recently introduced the only CBCT system with an open gantry and supine positioning, which the firm reports is ‘…ideal for a host of diagnostic needs. Exceeding the limits posed by CT systems, the NewTom 5G XL combines high diagnostic resolution with minimum patient exposure.’

Big data has the potential to offer a better understanding of how to aggregate clinically relevant data on a large scale and deliver better computer aided diagnosis algorithms and tools.

Technological advances in CT imaging have sparked a veritable explosion of imaging data. Pushing against the rush of novel imaging findings there is, what Dr Geoffrey Rubin calls, the slow wave of adoption in medicine, the acceptance and agreement of the clinical community for new diagnostic assessments.

Cloud computing offers various benefits but also entails some risks. Nevertheless hospitals need to adopt new ways to simplify work processes and enhance care.

One thing is certain in big data discussions: Intelligent machines will change our world considerably. What is less certain is exactly how these changes will look. Although networked data processing offers many opportunities, its development is still in the early stages.

Two years ago European Hospital spoke with Hans Vandewyngaerde, President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Agfa HealthCare, about a sweeping vision the company called ‘Images without Boundaries’. The idea was to build a capability to share images from anywhere to anyone involved in a patient’s care.

The radiology department at the German hospital Asklepios-Klinik Lindau recently received the high-performance R/F table Sonialvision G4, a new generation of X-ray and fluoroscopy systems, which complements examination and therapy options, particularly in internal medicine, as well as general surgery and for spinal disorders, the manufacturer Shimadzu reports.

Arab Health 2016 will provide access to a market of more than 400 million people through its 36 country pavilions and offer a platform for the region’s healthcare providers and buyers to collaborate and present the latest tools and innovations for improved patient care. Companies will seek to bring their innovative solutions and investigating future opportunities and introductions to potential…

Ziehm Vision RFD 3D is the world’s only 3D C-arm with flat-panel technology that provides a 16 cm edge length per scan volume combines 2D and 3D functionality to offer maximum intraoperative control.

Expanding on core technologies, Carestream re-engineers cone-beam CT for targeted orthopaedic exams. For a focused look at bone joints or sports injuries, there are a few 3D mini-scanners, yet adoption has been slow, according to Andrew Hartmann, Vice President and General Manager at Carestream for Ultrasound & CT Solutions. For difficult cases, he said, a physician might turn to full-body…

Building on an innovative ultrasound technology that continues to yield break-through capabilities, SuperSonic Imagine is introducing AngioPLUS, a third diagnostic functionality for its Aixplorer platform that promises to be instrumental in the diagnosis of cancerous tissues as well as musculoskeletal pathologies.