Three-minute "talk-offs" (or research battles), a CT good practice guide, a new "virtual congress," and a forum for emerging business talent are just a few of the highlights at this year's French national radiology congress, the Journées Françaises de Radiologie (JFR), to be held in Paris from 16 to 19 October.
Last year, the JFR radically changed its format, shortening the meeting from five to four days and allowing visitors "free hours" to read posters and explore the technical exhibition. The same schedule is planned for this year's congress after overwhelmingly positive feedback from delegates, Congress President Dr. Hubert Ducou Le Pointe told AuntMinnieEurope.com.
Pediatric MRI requires a different type of expertise, according to Dr. Hubert Ducou Le Pointe."This format has proved very effective -- and welcome -- as it has allowed just as much scientific and educational content in a more economical timeframe, as well as session-free hours for other JFR activities," he said. "The program has been carefully planned so that purely scientific content takes place earlier in the day, while clinical cases and interactive sessions will be held towards the end of the afternoon. Crucially, sessions broadcast on a dedicated congress website the following day will reach a maximum number of members of SFR [the Société Française de Radiologie] who can't attend in person."
Also new at JFR 2015, will be a space for emerging and innovative medical imaging companies. With industry presence usually confined to the technical exhibition, these young and often small businesses will benefit from a prime spot next to the "Interventional Village" in order to enhance their visibility. Candidature for these places closes 30 September, and the most innovative start-ups will be recognized and awarded prizes by the JFR organizers.
A third major change is a twist to an existing award, the "Young Researcher Communication" prize, which comprises a financial grant, and help in raising the profile of the research in question.
"This year, researchers must present their work in 180 seconds. Convincing a jury in three minutes is challenging and will make the competition highly dynamic," said Ducou Le Pointe, who is professor of radiology and head of pediatric radiology at Armand-Trousseau Children's Hospital in Paris, and president of the Francophone Society of Pediatric and Prenatal Imaging (Société Francophone d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Prénatale, SFIPP).
Emphasis on pediatric imaging
Running through the scientific program, pediatric imaging, this year's central theme, will straddle a range of pathologies and body systems such as osteoarticular, neuro, cardiovascular, and thorax, with some sessions to be held jointly between the organ-specific societies and SFIPP.
"The theme was chosen because imaging can now be carried out in the very young, and is increasingly used before birth in the prenatal fetus. Related sessions will show how pathologies seen in pediatrics change over time as the patient reaches adulthood, and also how pathologies discovered in the adult may now be depicted in the young child. Pediatric imaging reflects this continuum, vitally important both to the doctor and the patient," he noted.
"We will also hear how pediatric imaging is becoming increasingly focused on prenatal diagnosis," he added. "The expertise brought by the radiologist, with MRI as a complement to ultrasound, is of increasing help to obstetricians. Overall, we sense a strong and growing collaboration between pediatrics and radiology."
JFR 2015 delegates will celebrate Dr. Guy Sebag's life and contributions to the care of children.As prognostics for childhood diseases have changed, so have other patient management questions, Ducou Le Pointe continued. Thirty years ago a child diagnosed with cystic fibrosis would not survive beyond early adulthood; therefore a CT scan each year would not yield any long-term consequences. Now with advances in medicine, a patient with the same disease can reach the age of 50. With this ever-increasing life expectancy, radiologists must ask whether these scans will have consequences, and the issue of radiation protection is a growing concern, he commented.
The JFR program intends to address such concerns; "Radioprotection and pediatrics" on Friday morning will in part deal with following up congenital cardiac pathologies, one of four sessions during the congress dealing with imaging congenital heart disease from fetus to adult age. Another "must-see" on Monday is dedicated to spondylolisthesis in adults and children.
Ducou Le Pointe also points to a joint session about how pediatrics is practiced in the many different types of structure in France based on the results of a survey recently undertaken by the French Society of Pediatrics (Société Française de Pédiatrie, SFP) and the SFR. The survey aims to show where and how pediatric patients are managed, who requests and performs the imaging, where imaging takes place, what modalities are used, and speed of access.
Economics and demographics
Never low on the agenda is the issue of economics, which will be discussed on Friday afternoon.
"Pediatric MRI, particularly for children under 6, requires a different type of expertise and time invested. However, the fact that the child may need to be sedated and the machine is usually blocked for longer is not taken into consideration in the reimbursement," he said.
During this session, experts will address the question of whether or not there is a "demographic crisis" emerging in pediatric imaging, not just in France but also in other regions.
"Radiopediatrics is not well represented in either the U.S. or Europe, but is a subspecialty that should be supported so that the independent practitioner -- and pediatric radiology itself -- can develop," Ducou Le Pointe said. "The reimbursement policy for pediatric MRI is particularly problematic as the technical act and the intellectual act are not sufficiently remunerated. Regardless of the structure in which pediatric radiology is performed, this deficit makes routine practice difficult, resulting in a lack of expertise in the domain."
JFR always puts an emphasis on training. This year's congress will see the launch of a CT guide.This lack of expertise sporadically comes to the fore: Research in 2012 revealed overuse of hip x-ray rather than ultrasound to diagnose hip dysplasia, he added. Furthermore, an increasing number of pediatric hip dysplasia cases pointed to a problem in screening, which implicated the entire pediatric community, including orthopedics and radiology services.
Subsequently, a 2013 SFR survey showed there was a need for training in hip ultrasound. As a direct result of this survey, the SFR and SFIPP last year established a Continuous Professional Development (DPC) course in the subject that is now available online, according to Ducou Le Pointe.
The DPC arsenal also includes the precongress pluriprofessional training day on 15 October. This event was new last year but already looks set to become a firm fixture ahead of future JFR meetings. This year, the day pivots on two themes; the first is optimization of the relationship between the requesting doctor, the patient, and the radiologist, and second is musculoskeletal infiltrations.
Good practice in CT
JFR will not disappoint those interested in the latest SFR-published guides. Last year, MRI was in the spotlight. This October, the focus shifts to CT, with the launch of the SFR's "good practice guide for CT" that covers the most common pathologies and frequently used protocols in routine practice.
As usual, JFR will host the Antoine Béclère lecture, this year dedicated to the history and evolution of radiology. Clinical cases through the decades will be presented by Dr. Henri Nahum, professor of radiology at Beaujon Hospital in Paris, and Dr. Philippe Devred, professor of radiology and pediatric radiologist at La Timone Children's Hospital in Marseille.
In a separate session on Friday morning, tributes will also be paid to the late Dr. Guy Sebag, professor of radiology and head of pediatric radiology at Robert Debré Hospital in Paris, who died suddenly in late November 2014 (see our tribute article). "The Guy Sebag session" will take place at 10:30 a.m. and will focus on research in pediatric neuroradiology. Sebag's life and work will be presented by Dr. Catherine Adamsbaum, head of pediatric radiology at Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital in Paris.
"Springboarding from the efficacy of its relatively new format, which was tested and approved last year, the JFR will promote the importance of imaging from the womb to adulthood, showing the indispensable role radiology has at all stages of life," Ducou Le Pointe said. "Delegates should leave the congress certain in the knowledge that imaging continues to advance and that it is increasingly pivotal in the care of patients of every age."
