Dear Advanced Visualization Insider,
While breast MRI is highly sensitive for detecting cancer, differentiation of lesions can be a challenging task. A decision-support tool developed by a German research team may be able to help, however.
Researchers from the University Hospital Jena have developed a decision tree that can aid radiologists in determining whether a lesion is benign or malignant based on their descriptions of five lesion characteristics. Although it's currently only available in manual form, the tool could ultimately be combined with a database system that could yield probability of malignancy in a structured report. It could also evolve into a computer-assisted assessment tool integrated into a computer-aided detection (CAD) system.
The Jena researchers presented their work at the recent European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, and coverage of the algorithm serves as this newsletter's Insider Exclusive. You can access it before our other members by clicking here.
In other coverage of advanced visualization topics from ECR, click here to learn how CAD can accurately rule out stenosis on coronary CT angiography studies in patients with acute chest pain and an intermediate risk of acute coronary syndrome. Also, staff writer Rebekah Moan has details on how the use of CAD in breast cancer screening is quickly approaching the level of experienced radiologists and may soon be used as a second or third reader.
In other news in the Advanced Visualization Digital Community, the new iPad was formally released on March 16 to much fanfare. Radiology professionals will certainly appreciate many of the popular tablet's new features, including its high-resolution Retina display. Find out what impact the new iPad is projected to have on radiology by clicking here.
iOS devices also figure in two other stories in this edition, including research that found that the iPad may boost the efficiency of residents. In addition, the iPhone was determined to provide high accuracy for interpreting knee MRI studies, according to an article by international editor Eric Barnes.
Do you have any interesting images or clips that might be suitable for our AV Gallery? I invite you to submit them here.
