Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Performing MRI scans on combat veterans is always a tricky proposition. If veterans have retained metal fragments in their bodies, it can cause problems both in terms of patient safety and MR image quality.
But combat veterans can be imaged safely with MRI if a few precautions are taken, according to a presentation at this week's American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) meeting in Los Angeles. Associate Editor Kate Madden Yee was on hand in Los Angeles to report on the study for our MRI Community.
Researchers from Arizona shared their protocol for determining which veterans with retained metal fragments could be cleared for MRI scans based on a series of questions regarding the type of fragments and their location in the body. Learn how it works by clicking here.
In other stories from ARRS, find out how CT has replaced radiography for many abdominal applications, and how contrast ultrasound is a good option for liver lesions.
New PET/MRI protocol
In other news, visit our Molecular Imaging Community for an article on a new protocol that uses a sodium fluoride (NaF) radiopharmaceutical for cardiac PET/MRI scans at a lower radiation dose and with fewer imaging artifacts.
Researchers from New York City found that a combination of the NaF protocol and a new method for calculating MRI attenuation correction maps produced PET/MRI scans with a radiation dose as low as 5 mSv -- far lower than PET/CT.
Get the rest of the story by clicking here, or visit the community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
Lexmark finds buyer
You might know Lexmark primarily as a manufacturer of printers, but in recent years the company has also expanded in the imaging informatics market with a series of corporate acquisitions. Just over a year after unveiling its new Lexmark Healthcare division, the vendor announced that it has found a buyer for the entire company, in the form of a consortium from China led by ink cartridge firm Apex Technology. Get the rest of the details by clicking here for an article in our Imaging Informatics Community.
While you're there, be sure to check out the fourth and final installment of our series on the challenges of enterprise imaging, in our CIO Focus special section. In the article, contributing writer Greg Freiherr describes enterprise viewers and how they can make or break the transition to enterprise imaging. You'll find that article by clicking here.
