Tag: ECR

ECR 2025 Video Highlights

Posted on by Brian Casey

The theme of ECR 2025 was Planet Radiology, and those who were in attendance at Austria Center Vienna last week witnessed the role that radiology can play in reducing medical imaging’s contribution to climate change.

As always, ECR 2025 was the focus of cutting-edge research in AI, as well as the latest findings in traditional applications like cancer screening.

In this special edition of The Imaging Wire newsletter, we offer a recap of our ECR 2025 videos with thought leaders and imaging vendors from the exhibit floor. 

We hope you enjoy watching our ECR 2025 videos as much as we enjoyed producing them! 

Check out the ECR 2025 videos below or visit the Shows page on our website, and keep an eye out for our next Imaging Wire newsletter on Thursday.

Screening Takes Center Stage at ECR 2025

Posted on by Brian Casey

New advances in cancer screening were among the major trends at last week’s ECR 2025 conference in Vienna. From traditional screening exams like mammography to up-and-coming tests like CT lung cancer exams, radiologists are emerging at the forefront of efforts to improve population health through early detection.

CT lung cancer screening is gaining momentum in Europe, and a Friday afternoon session explored the experiences of multiple sites…

  • U.K. researchers used DeepHealth’s Lung Nodules AI solution for automated triage of lung nodules found on non-screening CT chest exams, finding the approach could save £25k-£37k annually.
  • A German team documented technical lung CT acquisition parameters for screening centers in the SOLACE consortium across 10 countries, finding some room for improvement. 
  • Preliminary results from an Italian lung screening project were reported, with 2k people scanned with a 1.5% cancer detection rate (77% stage I-II) and 17% recall rate. Smoking cessation advice was also given.
  • Early results from a pilot screening project in Poland were given, with a 1.9% cancer detection rate in 3.1k people screened. They recommend screening be implemented nationwide. 
  • In a secondary analysis of 23.4k people in the NLST study, CT-derived body composition metrics predicted mortality beyond traditional risk factors.

Meanwhile, new ECR cancer screening research builds on the landmark accomplishments from 2024 in AI for breast screening. A Saturday afternoon session explored the progress being made…

  • German breast screening programs that deployed ScreenPoint Medical’s Transpara AI algorithm for 119k women saw their cancer detection rate grow (6 vs. 4.8 cancers per 1k) while the recall rate remained stable at around 2.5%. 
  • AI-supported double-reading in Italy for 120k women led to more breast cancers detected on baseline exams compared to subsequent screening rounds, as well as a 42% lower recall rate.
  • Patients found an AI chatbot based on GPT-4 generated responses to their questions that were more empathetic and readable than those of radiologists.
  • Another Italian study found that using AI for double-reading mammograms of 266k women led to a 21% increase in cancer detection rate and 15% drop in recall rate.
  • A secondary analysis of the MASAI trial suggested that double-reading with two radiologists continue to be used for high-risk women. Single reading of 3.8k high-risk exams resulted in 8.9% fewer detected cancers and 5.9% fewer recalls.

The Takeaway

Last week’s research on cancer screening at ECR 2025 shows that imaging experts see screening as a way to not only improve population health on a broad scale, but also to give radiologists the opportunity to raise their profile with patients and take a more direct role in patient care. The question is whether it’s an opportunity radiologists are ready to take.

Highlights from ECR 2025

Posted on by Brian Casey

This week’s European Congress of Radiology is underway in Vienna, and things are heating up in the cozy confines of Austria Center Vienna. 

The theme of this week’s meeting is Planet Radiology, and conference organizers have made sustainability a major priority. 

  • As one of healthcare’s biggest consumers of energy, radiology has a responsibility to lead efforts to reduce greenhouse gases – a challenge that ECR 2025 president Prof. Andrea Rockall compared to the discipline’s successful effort to reduce radiation exposure.

Planetary health was the focus of a glitzy opening ceremony on February 26 before a standing-room-only crowd.

  • The program featured not only the musical and dance performances that are an ECR hallmark but also awe-inspiring videos that focused on each of the four planetary elements: water, air, fire, and earth. 

But scientific content has always been ECR’s main draw, and ECR 2025 so far hasn’t disappointed. Below are some highlights from the first two days of clinical presentations … 

  • New data from the MASAI study of AI for mammography screening were presented Wednesday, finding that ScreenPoint Medical’s Transpara algorithm cut interval cancers 12%.
  • Using AI instead of double-reading for biennial digital mammography screening saved $64k per 1k patients thanks to lower cancer treatment costs. 
  • The MA-DETECT study of 350 women used breast MRI on women with negative mammograms, with a cancer detection rate of 26 additional cancers per 1k women.
  • Aidoc’s AI algorithm for detecting cervical spine fractures on CT found 23 fractures missed by radiologists out of 2.3k scans, saving €6k per missed fracture.
  • Gleamer’s BoneView AI algorithm for fracture detection detected 81% of fractures missed by radiologists in patients who had filed compensation claims, potentially saving €265k.
  • The percentage of AI research studies with peer-reviewed evidence grew in 2023 compared to 2020 (67% vs. 35%) but the ratio showing clinical efficacy fell (52% vs. 55%).
  • Subtle Medical’s SubtleHD MRI enhancement algorithm improved signal-to-noise ratio by 73% and image sharpness by 27% in 205 MRI scans.
  • In a secondary analysis of the MIDAS study of clinical decision support in Germany, requests for inappropriate imaging were more frequent in women than men (7.3% vs. 6.1%). 
  • A majority of patients in Italy preferred ChatGPT-authored reports over those penned by radiologists (61%), with 70% saying they were more readable and 58% saying they were easier to understand. 
  • Researchers found that oral glucosamine could be used for breast MRI exams with a chemical exchange saturation transfer sequence. They found higher CEST values in tumor regions in a small study of 16 patients.
  • Italian researchers combined CT and contrast-enhanced mammography with the same contrast agent, finding higher sensitivity and specificity for detecting metastases than traditional methods.
  • German researchers ran a 0.4T permanent magnet MRI scanner off the grid for a year with solar panels and a generator-supported battery system. 
  • Using deep-learning reconstruction for MRI scans reduced energy consumption 65% thanks to shorter scan times while maintaining image quality. 
  • More patients preferred contrast-enhanced mammography (72%) compared to breast MRI (26%), mostly due to faster exam times and lack of claustrophobia. 

The Takeaway

This week’s ECR 2025 demonstrates the rich scientific research being conducted across Europe – much of which will eventually translate into commercial products. As the U.S. experiences regulatory turbulence and uncertainty around long-term funding for academic research, the focal point of radiology innovation could soon shift across the Atlantic.

Report from ECR 2024

Posted on by Brian Casey

ECR 2024 kicked off yesterday in Vienna, Austria, with European radiology professionals gathering to celebrate the field and demonstrate the latest in medical imaging research and technology. 

As we noted in last year’s coverage, ECR has bounced back strongly from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  • While this year’s attendance numbers aren’t in yet, the rooms and halls of Austria Center Vienna appear to be just as crowded as in the pre-pandemic days.

In particular, the show’s opening ceremony on Wednesday evening was standing room only, with attendees delighting in friendly banter on the future of AI and radiology between congress president Carlo Catalano, MD, and Ameca, an AI-powered animatronic robot. 

From a content perspective, this year’s meeting continues a strong focus on AI.

Some highpoints from the first few days are as follows:

The Takeaway
Based on the first two days, ECR 2024 is off to a great start. We’ll be featuring additional coverage in upcoming issues, so be sure to come back, and check out our YouTube channel and LinkedIn page for video highlights from the conference.

ECR 2023 Bounces Back As AI Tops Clinical Program

Posted on by Brian Casey

The European Congress of Radiology is back. European radiologists returned to Vienna in force last week for ECR 2023, surprising many naysayers with crowded presentation rooms and exhibit booths.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first ECR meeting since 2019 to be held in the conference’s traditional timeframe of early March. And after a lightly attended ECR 2022, held during Europe’s July vacation season, many were watching with bated breath to see if the conference could mount a comeback. 

Fortunately, ECR 2023 didn’t disappoint. While attendance didn’t hit the high water mark set prior to the pandemic, it was strong enough to satisfy most that the show was indeed healthy, with chatter on-site placing attendance at around 17,000.

As with RSNA 2022, interest in AI was strong. AI-based content permeated the scientific sessions as well as the exhibit floor, and the show’s AI Theatre was packed for nearly every presentation. 

In his opening address, ECR 2023 President Dr. Adrian Brady of Ireland addressed concerns about AI’s impact on radiology in the years to come, characterizing it as one of the “winds of change” that should be embraced rather than shunned. 

Other major trends at ECR 2023 included: 

Patient Safety – Many sessions discussed how to reduce risk when scanning patients, ranging from lowering radiation dose to limiting the amount of contrast media to MRI scanning of patients with metallic implants.

Sustainability – Energy challenges have gripped the European continent since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and imaging energy conservation was a key focus across several sessions. 

Workhorse Modalities – Unlike RSNA, where new product launches were focused on high-end premium systems, scanner introductions at ECR 2023 concentrated on workhorse offerings like mid-range CT and 1.5-tesla MRI.

The Takeaway

ECR is indeed back. It may not yet be a mandatory show for most U.S. radiologists, but it has regained its importance for anyone interested in a more global look at medical imaging. And given the European emphasis on research, it’s a great place to learn about new technologies before they appear in North America.

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