Dear Advanced Visualization Insider,
Computer-aided detection (CAD) technology has been shown repeatedly to improve detection of solid lung nodules, but some researchers believe that CAD's utility could be improved even further if CAD is integrated directly into PACS workstation software.
In this manner, radiologists could gain immediate access to CAD information as they traditionally review their images, avoiding the need to switch to a separate CAD workstation. At the 2009 RSNA meeting in Chicago, a research team from New York University Langone Medical Center found that this marriage led to a significant increase in the number of true-positive nodules seen on low-dose CT screening studies.
They also found that these gains did not come at the cost of an unacceptable number of false-positive findings or added length of interpretation time. Our coverage of the RSNA presentation is the subject of this month's Insider Exclusive article. To learn more about the benefits of integrating CAD and PACS, click here.
In other current articles from the RSNA meting, the use of 3D stereotactic surface projection software can improve diagnostic accuracy for interpreting FDG-PET scans of patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. Features editor Wayne Forrest has our coverage, which you can find by clicking here.
Also, chest x-ray CAD was found not to improve observer performance significantly in detecting suspicious lesions. The technology's potential is currently hampered by an inability of radiologists to consistently distinguish between true-positive and false-positive CAD annotations, according to a Dutch research team.
Stay tuned for more RSNA coverage in the coming weeks.
In other featured articles this month in your Advanced Visualization Digital Community, a new CAD application is showing great promise as a companion to coronary CT angiography studies. For that article by international editor Eric Barnes, click here.
Also, do you have any interesting images or clips that might be suitable for our AV Gallery? I invite you to submit them by clicking here.
Happy holidays from all of us at AuntMinnie.com!
