Over the past few years, iterative reconstruction has emerged as an alternative to filtered back projection with its ability to improve the image quality of computed tomography (CT) images. Although the clinical use of iterative reconstruction techniques in CT is rather new, U. Joseph Schoepf, M.D., professor of radiology, medicine and pediatrics, and director of the division of cardiovascular imaging at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said the technology itself has been around almost as long as CT imaging. “When the first CT scanner was conceived by Sir Godfrey Hounsfield — the inventor of CT — and the first system was actually put together by EMI, iterative reconstruction was the proposed reconstruction method for computed tomography,” he explained. 

The use of contrast media in many imaging modalities continues to evolve as physicians seek to improve dose management practices and vendors churn out automated injectors that can precisely control the amount of contrast and personalize doses for patients using information pulled from an electronic medical record (EMR) or picture archiving and communication system (PACS). The features of today’s contrast media injectors include syringeless options and dose recording software, offering new possibilities for radiology departments looking to streamline and document their contrast media usage.