Dear AuntMinnie Member,
There are few things in radiology more amazing than 4D ultrasound, especially when used for fetal imaging. And in a new study in our Ultrasound Community, researchers from the U.K. found a novel use for the technology -- analyzing in utero how fetuses respond to taste and smell.
The researchers gave pregnant women capsules containing strong flavors, then used 4D ultrasound to view reactions of the fetuses a short time later. We could try to describe their reactions, but this is a classic case of a picture being worth a thousand words.
In other ultrasound news, a group from Australia believes that the recent shortage of iodinated contrast for CT studies offers an opportunity to use ultrasound and MRI instead. And ultrasound can be helpful in guiding interventional cardiology procedures, says a group from Canada.
RTs on the night shift
In the world of digital x-ray, researchers from New York found that there were more quality problems with portable x-ray images acquired on the night shift, indicating that radiologic technologists (RTs) on the overnight shift may need more training.
In other news, a research group from California found that using patient decision aids during informed consent conversations with patients could potentially reduce lawsuits during interventional radiology procedures.
There may have been a downside to healthcare's massive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A news report found that there are over 1,000 x-ray machines purchased during the pandemic that are now languishing in storage.
Get these stories and more in our Digital X-Ray Community.
New MRI contrast
Finally, big news in MRI landed this week with approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of gadopiclenol, a new gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA).
Gadopiclenol is novel for several reasons. For one, it was developed jointly by two competitors in the contrast media space, Bracco and Guerbet. Second, the agent is designed to address concerns over gadolinium use by enabling clinicians to cut gadolinium dose in half while retaining the same image quality. Each company will market gadopiclenol under its own brand names, Bracco as Vueway and Guerbet as Elucirem.
Get these stories and more in our MRI Community.
