RSNA 2024 Program Chair Kate Hanneman highlights key trends in radiology
The 2024 Radiological Society of North America annual meeting drew nearly 40,000 attendees to Chicago, showcasing the latest innovations in medical imaging. Radiology Business spoke with cardiac radiologist Kate Hanneman, MD, chair of the RSNA 2024 program planning committee and an associate professor at the University of Toronto, who offered key insights into themes from the conference.
Generative AI and advanced models lead the agenda
Artificial intelligence, particularly generative and foundation models, dominated the sessions. There was a lot of discussion about healthcare systems needing to better understand the foundational models of the AI they use to better track its accuracy and watch for "AI drift" as data inputs change over time. There also was a lot of discussion about AI for risk prediction, patient triaging and automated report generation. Hanneman said it is clear AI is being integrated to address both routine and complex challenges in radiology.
"There really has been an avalanche in AI, not only for understanding risk prediction, but identifying high risk patients," she said. "We've seen models presented in the science sessions in terms of integrating multiple multi-omics. So combining laboratory data, for example, with the imaging data in terms of improved risk prediction."
RSNA discussions centered around how generative AI can take dictated notes, using them to generate radiology reports more quickly and speed up turnaround times. Hanneman expects such technology will see increased adoption in the near future.
However, she emphasized the need for further evaluation, particularly regarding how AI models perform in diverse clinical environments beyond their training datasets.
In other areas of AI, algorithms are being used to streamline imaging workflows and reduce scan times, which has made a big impact on MRI. Hanneman anticipates continued advancements in AI, particularly in cardiac imaging, like automated cardiac MR protocoling and accelerated image acquisition.
This helps address the growing technologist workforce shortages and rising demand for MRI, she said. AI also is automating post-processing, which saves a lot of time when reading exams.
"Many of the models that we've seen integrated in clinical practice have kind of reduced the time that we spend on drawing circles or contouring on cardiac MRI, and that is absolutely a value add. It gives us time to spend teaching or trying to get through more cases, for example. So absolutely a win from a patient perspective and our ability to deliver care," Hanneman said.
Addressing workforce challenges in radiology
A persistent theme was the workforce shortage in radiology, which has escalated significantly over the past decade. Recruiters were a prominent presence at RSNA 2024, reflecting the heightened demand for radiologists.
"There was actually a lot of interest in terms of the workforce," Hanneman said. "This is no surprise to many of us who are often hiring both on the radiology side, and of course our technologist partners. But there's a fantastic session and a lot of interest generated on the role of nonphysician providers, and of course this is potentially provocative when thinking about the opportunities and the threats."
Sustainability in radiology
Hanneman is a big advocate for environmental sustainability in radiology, which is among the biggest power consumers in health systems. She attended several sessions on this topic at RSNA, and one new takeaway for her were recent studies that found gadolinium MRI contrast infiltrating the water supply. She said there is now discussion around ways to reduce or prevent gadolinium release into the environment, including capturing patient urine before they leave the imaging department. This can help contain the highest concentration of the contrast soon after imaging, similar to capturing excreted radiopharmaceuticals.
“Gadolinium contamination in drinking water is a growing concern, and seeing creative solutions to address this issue was inspiring,” she said.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com