Dear AuntMinnie Member,
CHICAGO - Before this year's RSNA meeting opened, the question on everyone's mind was whether artificial intelligence (AI) will dominate RSNA 2018 like it dominated RSNA 2017. With one day in the books, the answer is a definitive maybe.
AI and related topics such as deep learning and machine learning have definitely been the main points of conversation in the rooms and halls of McCormick Place today. But the discussion also hints at how AI is poised to become such an integral part of medical imaging that we may not even think of it as something separate from radiology itself -- much as PACS and digital imaging became inextricably woven into radiology's fabric.
The discussion at RSNA 2018 so far is about how AI can help radiologists with the nuts and bolts of doing their jobs -- and not a fantastic vision of computers replacing radiologists. For example, attendees at one Sunday lecture heard how an AI algorithm was able to accurately predict whether a thyroid nodule was malignant, potentially reducing biopsies.
Indeed, in today's opening address, RSNA 2018 President Dr. Vijay Rao discussed how radiology can position itself at the center of patient care by embracing new technologies such as AI. She offered several ideas for how medical imaging can accomplish this: Learn more in our coverage of her talk.
Meanwhile, the RSNA event continues to support its reputation as the premier forum for clinical research in radiology. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania showed how they used digital breast tomosynthesis to reduce screening recalls and increase the cancer detection rate, while others from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis described their work using diffusion-tensor MRI to assess a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and rate of cognitive decline.
Check out these stories and more in our RADCast @ RSNA special section, and follow our Twitter feed for even more current news from Chicago.
