In a “Family Feud” game show style, if you were asked to highlight some of the significant and specific contributions of computers to imaging techniques, chances are good that picture archiving and communications systems (PACS), radiology information systems (RIS) and computed tomography (CT) would take the top three of five most popular responses.

In the current excitement about digital mammography, the focus of attention has been on the merits of one capture technology over another. There has been much less interest in the storage needs created by these digital imaging systems.
This lack of interest in the storage of digital mammograms is understandable. After all, these files are just stored on a server somewhere, right? Well, the answer is yes, but this topic deserves serious consideration for the following reasons:

While much of the buzz in recent years surrounding computed tomography technology has focused on the escalating number of slices newer units are capable of delivering, there's more to the modality than just how to speed up the process.

Utilizing strong magnetic fields and radio waves, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) yields detailed images of soft tissue, including the brain, spine, vasculature and joints. From orthopedics to cardiology, MRI is proving itself a frontrunner in the diagnosis and treatment planning of an increasing number of disease states. And in the operating suite, the technology is reaping huge benefits for surgeons – particularly neurosurgeons.
Real-Time Imaging in the OR

Providing excellent patient care is a top priority for Scripps Mercy Hospital, the longest-operating hospital in San Diego, CA. It has served the communities of San Diego and Chula Vista for 113 years, and last year the hospital treated more than 50,000 ER patients and 2,200 trauma patients. With a total of 32 intensive-care beds, it is among the top hospitals for cancer and cardiac care as well as bariatric surgery.


In the business sector, employees occasionally have the misfortune of laboring within what might be termed: “the toxic workplace,” a culture of insensitive or inept management that breeds discord and a desire to escape. But in healthcare, the toxic workplace is truly dangerous, both in terms of patient impact as well as the risk of driving talented nurses away from the places they are most needed.


Only a marketing director for stretchers could draw a parallel between a nurse and an auto mechanic.
“Have you ever watched somebody push a stretcher?” asked Don Payerle from Stryker Medical. “They lean into it — kind of like getting an old Chevy going. Once it rolls, it's not nearly as hard to keep going, but the first steps are where they really have to put their backs into it.”
Who Sets the Curve for RT in Oncology?

Radiation therapy (RT) is an imaging intensive process across multiple stages -- simulation, planning and treatment -- and is technologically intensive. To keep up with the needs of this treatment, it would seem that oncology IT, such as oncology information management systems (OIMS), would be racing to deliver new enhancements and features.

While many professionals in the radiation oncology field insist that true adaptive radiation therapy is not yet taking place due to a lack of time and resources, a growing number of these professionals are in fact “adapting” technology to make it suitable for treating a wide array of cases with more precision and accuracy.


Traditionally, CT has been used for staging and radiation treatment planning. However, it is not always sufficient for tumor localization and characterization and requires a follow-up PET scan. As recent studies have shown that concurrent PET/CT improves accuracy for radiation therapy planning over separate PET and CT scans, there is a growing trend in oncology toward the adoption of hybrid PET/CT modalities for multiple image functions – diagnosis, staging and treatment planning.

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