There have been several technology advances in PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) systems recently introduced by vendors. On the show floors of the 2014 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) meeting and the 2014 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting, Philips, Toshiba and GE Healthcare introduced new PET/CT systems.



It’s the invisible elephant in radiology — radiation exposure. As physicians, we know all too well that exposure to radiation should be limited to the least amount possible. We have all learned about the ALARA principle for keeping exposure low. We also take precautions on our patients’ behalf and educate them. But what about us? The physicians and technical staff who treat patients every day cannot avoid radiation exposure entirely. However, there is growing evidence that not only is radiation exposure detrimental to our health, but also many long-term cumulative effects are still unknown.


The ITN team has just returned from the Healthcare Information and Management Society’s (HIMSS15) annual conference in Chicago, where more than 43,000 healthcare IT professionals gathered to learn about and share information on optimizing healthcare outcomes using information technology. 

The ITN team has just returned from the Healthcare Information and Management Society’s (HIMSS15) annual conference in Chicago, where more than 43,000 healthcare IT professionals gathered to learn about and share information on optimizing healthcare outcomes using information technology. 


Based on its ongoing analysis of the medical imaging market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. with the 2015 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Medical Imaging Company of the Year. The company has changed the way it approaches the imaging market by offering scalable, upgradable technologies and a patient-focused view of partnerships. This value-based approach positions the company for continued success in the medical imaging market by allowing it to re-orient many of its imaging customers away from a cyclical sales model and toward deeper, more renewable strategic partnerships.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano is the first hospital in North Texas to offer full-body three-dimensional imaging with a lower dose of radiation than traditional imaging.

One life-threatening complication of lung cancer surgery is the formation of blood clots in the lungs (also called pulmonary embolism, PE) or in the legs (also known as deep vein thrombosis, DVT). Together, they would be defined as venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Several presentations at AATS 2015 shed new light on this serious problem. In the first prospective study of its kind, the incidence of VTE was found to be higher than previously reported, with a 5.4 percent VTE-specific mortality rate. Of concern to clinicians, most events were asymptomatic and occurred after patients were discharged from the hospital. The second report highlights the importance of screening for VTEs, especially since the majority of lower extremity VTEs found after pneumonectomy would have gone undiagnosed and untreated without screening. The third report describes a risk assessment tool for VTEs that is applied for the first time to predict an individual’s risk of VTEs after lung cancer surgery, which can help clinicians decide whether prolonged anti-clotting therapy is warranted.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting patients who had mammograms at Coastal Diagnostic Center in Pismo Beach, California, on or after Feb. 24, 2013, about possible problems with the quality of their mammograms. This does not mean that the results of the mammograms were inaccurate, but it does mean that the patients should consider having their mammograms re-evaluated at a Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA)-certified facility to determine if they need a repeat mammogram or additional medical follow-up.

Proton Partners International Limited announced the appointment of global partners in its plans to build three proton beam therapy centers in the U.K. Partner organizations will provide state-of-the-art clinical equipment and technology solutions to the company.

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