Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,
The global shortage of helium is getting steadily worse, and now European MRI manufacturers are taking action to cope with the situation. Hospitals are not yet being affected directly and there's no reason to panic, but to minimize the risk of MRI quenching and expensive repairs, a rigorous maintenance strategy must be implemented, according to vendors.
For a report on this hot topic, go to our MRI Digital Community, or click here. Also, the annual meeting of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology begins tomorrow in Lisbon so make sure you click back for coverage.
The advent of PET/CT has brought immense clinical promise, but the hybrid modality also has its own potential pitfalls and difficulties in interpretation. To help you to perform better, researchers from a leading cancer hospital have drawn up some clear and simple rules. To get them, visit our Molecular Imaging Digital Community or click here.
To improve the accuracy of mammography as a screening tool, measures such as double reading have been introduced but few studies have analyzed observer variability in interpretation using BI-RADS assessment. Spanish researchers have sought to rectify this. To read more, go to our Women's Imaging Digital Community or click here.
In the light of ever-tighter healthcare budgets, the productivity of radiologists is coming under growing scrutiny, and it appears that those who do more reporting sessions are more efficient than those who do fewer. Get the story here.
In cardiovascular medicine, detection of silent necrosis is vital to provide adequate therapy and improve prognosis. Acute coronary syndromes can develop in a silent way, and these patients may not receive adequate therapy and are more prone to short- and long-term complications, a Spanish expert notes. MRI has a role to play. Visit our Cardiac Imaging Digital Community, or click here.
Finally, the world of nuclear medicine is mourning the sad loss of global pioneer Dr. Henry Wagner Jr., who died last week at the age of 85. To read more about this great man, click here.
