The European Society of Radiology urging radiologists to expand their presence and evolve their roles.

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Nuclear Medicine

Siemens’ Big SPECT/CT Launch

Siemens Healthineers kicked off SNMMI 2022 with the launch of its Symbia Pro.specta SPECT/CT, marking one of the biggest SPECT/CT rollouts we’ve seen in years.

The FDA and CE-cleared Symbia Pro.specta succeeds Siemens’ longstanding Symbia Intevo SPECT/CT (first launched in 2013) and is built to encourage nuclear medicine departments to finally replace their SPECT-only cameras and first-generation SPECT/CTs. That’s a big goal given SPECT/CT’s history of slow clinical adoption, and the Symbia Pro.specta will rely on a range of new and improved features to try to make it happen:

• Integrated SPECT/CT – The Symbia Pro.specta boasts a fully integrated SPECT/CT, including an integrated user interface, while allowing providers to also use the system for SPECT or CT-only imaging.

• myExam Companion – The Symbia Pro.specta adopts Siemens’ high-priority myExam Companion solution, which combines a new UI and automated guidance tools to make SPECT/CT operation far less manual, user dependent, and inconsistent (before and after image acquisition).

• Diagnostic-Quality CT – Siemens’ new SPECT/CT is now available with 32 or 64-slice CTs (vs. Symbia Intevo’s 32-slice max) and a 70cm bore, while also offering standard Tin Filter and SAFIRE iterative CT reconstruction for low-dose CT imaging.

• Advanced SPECT – The Symbia Pro.specta ships with standard automatic patient motion correction during SPECT exams (and optional cardiac exam motion correction), while its advanced quantification and energy level versatility allow it to support treatment response evaluations and theranostics usage.

• Accessibility & Flexibility – Siemens leaned-in on the Symbia Pro.specta’s accessibility strengths, noting that it is sleek enough to fit into most existing SPECT rooms, and can support a range of clinical uses (cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics) and patient types (pediatric, obese, and physically challenged).

The Takeaway

SPECT/CT’s slow path towards becoming a mainstream modality arguably has more to do with its adoption barriers and providers’ acceptance of the status quo than any doubts about its clinical benefits. Even though not all adoption barriers are hardware-dependent, the Symbia Pro.specta lowers enough of them to give nuclear imaging departments a good reason to consider moving up to a modern SPECT/CT.

Automating Echo AI

Check out this Imaging Wire Show featuring Us2.ai’s co-founders, James Hare and Carolyn Lam MBBS, PhD, detailing Us2.ai’s unique origins, impressive capabilities, and big goals to automate echocardiography reporting across the world.

Scaling AI with the Cloud

Trying to figure out how your IT resources can handle increased AI adoption? This Blackford paper details how the cloud is helping radiology organizations scale their computing resources to support multiple AI applications or algorithms.

The Wire

• Synthesizing CTs: Authors of a new Academic Radiology study developed a deep learning model that uses two-view chest X-rays to create synthetic CT-like digitally reconstructed tomograms (DRTs). The authors had two radiologists review 15 patients’ DRTs and CXRs for pulmonary nodules (with DRT+CXRs or with only CXRs), finding that they were far more accurate when using DRTs and CXRs together compared to only using CXRs (AUC: 0.95-0.98 vs. 0.80-0.85). However, interobserver agreement was higher when they only used the CXRs (0.82 for DRT + X-ray; 0.89 for X-ray alone).

• Expanding Radiologists’ Role: The European Society of Radiology urged radiologists to expand their role, and not to settle for becoming any more isolated or commoditized. To move the field forward, the authors encourage radiologists to: (1) recognize the central role they play in patient care, (2) devote more time and attention to patient interaction, (3) increase cross-specialty contributions and knowledge (4) embrace their role as innovators and scientists, and (5) teach future generations of radiologists.

• Transparency Fines: Nearly 18 months after federal price transparency rules took effect, CMS has issued its first pair of major fines for non-compliance, penalizing two Georgia hospitals a combined $1.1M. A recent PatientRightsAdvocate.org study found that only 14% of hospitals are adequately complying with the rules, but with the maximum annual penalty for non-compliance increasing from $109k to $2M per hospital earlier this year, we could start to see some improvements.

• Christie in the USA: Major Canadian imaging distributor Christie Innomed expanded into the US with its acquisition of Arizona-based multi-vendor imaging sales and service company Comp-Ray. This might prove to be a milestone move for Christie, noting its dominant role in Canada and its goal to become the largest independent imaging distributor (well beyond Canada).

• Ultrasound-Embedded AI: A team of UK-based researchers detailed an AI algorithm that can distinguish normal and clogged carotid arteries using grayscale static duplex ultrasound images (DUS), potentially allowing less-experienced clinicians to perform these exams. Tested on 156 images, the algorithm detected normal scans with 91% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 92% accuracy, and detected stenotic arteries with 87% sensitivity, 82% specificity, and 90% accuracy. 

• Pediatric Whole-Body CT Patterns: A team of France-based researchers revealed new insights into whole-body CT’s diagnostic patterns when used on children with multiple trauma injuries. Analysis of 1,114 first-line WBCT evaluations across 63 emergency departments revealed injuries in 59.4% of patients (1,982 total injuries), most commonly for pulmonary contusions and costal fractures (8.3% & 6.2%). Second reads identified 151 additional injuries in 92 patients (8.3%), with the missed injuries most common among children under 4 years of age, with two or more injured body parts, or with more than three injuries. 

• Technologists’ Rising Pay: A new American Society of Radiologic Technologists survey (n=10,775) shows that radiologic technologists have seen solid salary gains over the past three years, and now earn an average of $77,027 (up 11.2% from 2019). X-ray technologists saw the largest boost during this time period (+12.8% to $65,246), followed by CT techs (+11.8% to $78,159), and mammographers (+10.6% to $79,323).

• RefleXion & Telix’s PCa Alliance: RefleXion Medical and Telix Pharmaceuticals announced an exclusive co-development and commercialization agreement involving Telix’s Illuccix prostate cancer PET tracer and RefleXion’s BgRT PET-guided radiotherapy system. Under the agreement, Telix and RefleXion will conduct and co-fund a BgRT clinical program using Illuccix as a biological guide for treatment delivery, seek regulatory approval, and jointly pursue commercialization.

• EEG Before CT: When urgent care providers use EEG-based injury biomarkers to assess head injuries, they refer fewer patients to the emergency department for CT scans. That’s from a new JUCM study that analyzed data from 24 urgent care centers using BrainScope’s FDA-cleared wearable EEG device, finding that only 23.7% of 963 head trauma patients were referred for CTs. Referrals based on EEG results combined with clinical judgment achieved 100% sensitivity, 77.3% specificity, and 100% NPV compared to CT findings.

• Candelis Virtualizes ImageGrid: Candelis announced the launch of its ImageGrid VM solution, making its ImageGrid DICOM router available for use in virtualized environments, while potentially enhancing ImageGrid’s support for larger, high-volume facilities.

The Multitenant Cloud Advantage

Check out this Change Healthcare video explaining the difference between single-tenant and multitenant cloud architecture, and how multitenant solutions can improve your efficiency and flexibility.

The Resource Wire

• Learn how Memorial MRI and Diagnostics’ efforts to improve its MRI patient experience impacted its patient referrals, clinical case mix, throughput, and accessibility in this on-demand webinar from United Imaging and AuntMinnie.

• To solve the challenges of enterprise imaging, you’ll need a strategy that addresses today’s needs and future challenges. Answer the questions to see if you’re prepared to formulate a more effective healthcare IT plan.

• This Riverain Technologies case study details how the University of Colorado Hospital enhanced its chest X-ray workflow with ClearRead Bone Suppress.

• Patients are ready for (and expecting) their healthcare to be supported by AI, and its gaining traction in radiology. See how AI is delivering clinical value today and in the future, in this editorial by Intelerad’s Morris Panner.

• Check out this patient case study showing how the Arterys Chest I MSK AI allowed radiologists at CSE in Paris to identify a fracture that was missed in three previous interpretations.

• Having Trouble Improving Your Radiology Workflow? This Novarad report details how a customizable PACS, high uptime and reliability, and digital image enhancement tools can improve your workflow.

• The Future of Radiology Starts on June 30th. Reserve your spot for AI Visions 2022, featuring live discussions from the top radiology and AI leaders and the global launch of Bayer’s Calantic Digital Solutions AI marketplace.

• See how GE Healthcare’s CT lineup is helping radiologists and technologists become more efficient through effortless workflow, new AI efficiencies, and a unique approach to scanner modularity.

• See how Dubai-based healthcare leader Aster DM Healthcare leveraged the CARPL platform to connect its doctors, data scientists, and imaging workflows, and support its AI projects and development infrastructure.

• See how Fujifilm Healthcare helped Arkansas Children’s Hospital imaging IT infrastructure evolve from departmental silos to an interoperable architecture that improved its radiology and IT teams’ day-to-day flexibility and future scalability.

• See how the Ochsner Lafayette General health system improved its radiology report quality and efficiency when it migrated to PowerScribe One.

• Canon Medical is making its way through the US on its 2022 Mobile Tour, bringing its products and solutions directly to hospitals and providers in 50 US cities. Tune in to see when Canon is coming to you and watch highlights from its tour stops along the way.