Four years ago the U.K.’s Royal College of Radiologists released its evidence-based “iRefer” guidelines to help referring physicians in Ireland order the right imaging at the right time for the right indication. Now researchers on the Emerald Isle have compared the appropriateness of imaging ordered before and after the release, with an eye on economic costs as well as radiation doses.

Research presented at this year’s Society of Interventional Radiology conference in Austin, Texas, suggests virtual reality (VR) could be useful to interventional radiologists, improving treatments using real-time 3D images from inside a patient’s vessels.

Using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) to image the brains of human fetuses in utero, researchers have confirmed that functional connectivity differs between the sexes from very early on in neurodevelopment.

Interventional radiologists at UC-San Francisco have adopted the popular smart-speaker system Google Home (aka “Hey Google,” “OK Google”) for use in the surgical suite.

It’s well established that widely used CPAP devices help give a good night’s rest to people with obstructive sleep apnea. Now an MRI-based study has shown the breathing assistance provided by continuous positive airway pressure also increases blood flow to, and blood volume in, the brain. 

Nearly half of CT scans ordered for patients presenting with dental infections are unnecessary, according to work published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, exposing patients to excess costs and physical risk where a more low-impact exam would have been sufficient.

CVS Health’s merger with managed care company Aetna has resulted in lower stock shares and some financial stress, but strategies to reduce unnecessary medical expenses and capitalize on trends like cannabis legalization might ease some of that discomfort, CNBC reported March 21.