Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,
European regulators stunned the global imaging community at the end of last week when finally they unveiled the results of their 12-month investigation into gadolinium-based contrast agents for MRI scans. Their recomendation that four agents should have their marketing authorizations suspended looks certain to have major financial and legal implications for industry, radiologists, and patients worldwide.
Technically, contrast manufacturers have an opportunity to provide evidence to overturn the recommendations, but they will need to supply some robust and compelling research to prove the safety of the agents. Also, they will have to show their agents are essential and no viable therapeutic alternatives exist, thereby justifying the risk to patients.
The Maverinck has followed this issue closely for many years, and he gives his assessment of the situation in a new column. Go to the MRI Community, or click here. Also, if you missed our breaking news report from last Friday, click here.
Not surprisingly, dose optimization was a topical issue during ECR 2017. One of the leading lectures in this area came from Spain, where a centralized dose monitoring system for six hospitals in Madrid combined with additional education for radiographers has led to average radiation dose reductions of 8% to 20%, depending on the type of examination. Visit the Imaging Informatics Community, or click here.
The quality of the e-posters presented at ECR has grown steadily over recent years, and one of the top award winners at this month's congress was about breast MRI. Why were the judges so impressed with the research from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands? Find out in our Women's Imaging Community, or by clicking here.
Last but not least, we have a CT market roundup. The modality continues to evolve and develop, and to discover what's happening with this exciting technology, click here.
