Good news for MRI in Europe; reading room ergonomics

Dear AuntMinnie Member,

European MRI practitioners got good news last week when European Commission officials announced they would revise a pending law that would have imposed severe restrictions on use of the technology in both research and clinical settings.

Design to protect workers from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF), the EMF Directive would have set guidelines on MRI so strict that clinicians said it would have prevented healthcare personnel from entering imaging suites.

Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed, with European Commission officials stating that MRI scanners will basically be exempted from the rules. To learn more, click here for a story in our MRI Digital Community.

In other MRI news, a recently presented study found that contrast-enhanced MRI in combination with FDG-PET can differentiate between viable and nonviable myocardium in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator devices who are undergoing ventricular tachycardia ablations. That story is available by clicking here, or visit the community at mri.auntminnie.com.

Reading room ergonomics

How much attention have you paid to how your radiology reading room is set up? If the answer is "not much," you might want to think again, according to an article we're featuring in our PACS Digital Community.

The article is based on a recent talk by PACS researcher Steven Horii, MD, from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Horii noted that the risk of repetitive stress injuries is rising as radiologists spend an increasing amount of time in front of their workstations.

Preventing such work-induced injuries is relatively simple if a few precautionary steps are taken. Find out what Dr. Horii recommends by clicking here, or visit the community at pacs.auntminnie.com.