Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,
Mention Facebook and Twitter to most medical doctors and you're unlikely to get an enthusiastic response. They tend to think that these sites are useful for teenagers and students with plenty of spare time, but that they're not of much use to busy professionals.
Dr. Lorenzo Faggioni from Pisa, Italy, strongly disagrees. When used effectively, he said social media can assist with a diagnosis, facilitate closer collaboration, and act as a powerful educational tool, and he has some practical tips to offer. Get the story here.
Ultrahigh-field MRI remains a largely experimental technique, but evidence of its clinical potential has emerged over the past year or so. Radiologists in Essen, Germany, are doing important work in this area, and they are using 7-tesla MRI to produce high-resolution, highly defined anatomical images of the liver without the need for a contrast agent. Click here to find out more in our MRI Digital Community.
Controversy continues to surround breast screening. A Norwegian paper published online this week by the British Medical Journal claims that screening is associated with a significant increase in mastectomy rates, but radiologists have been quick to question the usefulness of this study. For the details, visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community, or you can click here.
Compact scanners and new clinical applications have enlivened the ultrasound market, and several products were introduced at the 2011 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) congress in Vienna. Vendors put an emphasis on image quality, ease of use, and flexibility. Click here for the full story.
The Swiss-based nonprofit foundation EssentialMed is developing appropriate imaging services in poorer countries in Africa and Asia. Dr. Klaus Schönenberger gave up his career in the medical device industry to run this group, and the World Health Organization's (WHO) former head of imaging, the late Dr. Harald Østensen, provided guidance and support. Click here to read more in our Digital X-Ray Community.
