Deep learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are gaining more and more momentum in radiology. While some physicians are slow to embrace this vision and trend, fretting over their own job security, others in the industry are inspired by the endless possibilities. The long-term vision positions AI at the center of momentous change in radiology while also pushing the practice of medicine, disease management and physician efficiency forward at a rapid pace. 

Shortly before her 40th birthday, a woman visits her primary care physician and is advised she should schedule her first mammogram. The patient is puzzled and says she “read somewhere” that she can wait a few years. The physician has heard this before and kindly convinces the patient to comply with the recommendation. She agrees, schedules the mammogram and receives her results before even leaving the imaging facility. 

More than 30,000 Americans have cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung disorder that affects the pancreas and other organs, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Although there is no cure, there is a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that treats the underlying cause of the disease.

A recent article in the Boston Globe outlined various dangers associated with MRI scans.

Oncora Medical, a radiation oncology software company, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are partnering to combine tools for collection and prediction of oncology outcomes to enable precision radiation oncology.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago has become first in Illinois to house a combined MRI and PET scanner, a machine that reduces the time a patient spends on imaging tests, while producing quality images at lower doses of radiation.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and Toshiba Medical today announce a new partnership dedicated to providing career development opportunities for radiology fellows and residents in the United States. Toshiba Medical’s support will allow 250 U.S.-based fellows and residents to join SCCT at no charge for one year, enhancing their early career opportunities and building their awareness of the growing contributions of cardiovascular computed tomography.

The University of Missouri Research Reactor has filed an application to produce molybdenum-99, a precursor isotope to technetium-99m, a radiotracer used in more than 16 million nuclear medicine procedures in the U.S. every year.  Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) is produced at a select few reactors across the world, with none located in North America after the October closing of the National Research Universal Reactor in Ontario, Canada. Once approved, the Missouri reactor would serve as the sole domestic source of molybdenum, fulfilling almost half of the U.S. demand.