Dr. Waleed Brinjikji,  Mayo Clinic, in response to a study presented at AUR 2023 on teaching faculty working from home.

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HIMSS 2023 may be in radiology’s rear-view mirror, but if you’re looking for a review of the hottest news in imaging IT from last week’s meeting, check out our YouTube channel for video interviews with key opinion leaders at McCormick Place. You’ll find interviews with Visage Imaging, Signify Research, Enlitic, Intelerad Medical Systems, PocketHealth, and more!

Breast Imaging

ABUS Boosts Breast Screening

Automated breast ultrasound led to sharp increases in cancer detection rates and sensitivity when it was performed as a supplement to screening digital mammography in a study of Asian women. 

In Radiology, researchers from South Korea explain the shortcomings of X-ray-based mammography, which has limited sensitivity in women with dense breast tissue. Handheld ultrasound can be used as a screening supplement, but it has drawbacks of its own, such as longer exam time and operator variability. 

ABUS has been proposed as an alternative, acquiring 3D volumes of the entire breast in an automated mode that’s more structured and standardized. ABUS also provides coronal-plane images that can help differentiate malignant from benign lesions.

But most of the studies validating ABUS have been conducted on Western women, and Asian women tend to have mammographically denser breasts.

So researchers decided to test ABUS as a supplement to digital mammography with 2,301 South Korean women who were screened from 2018 to 2019. Women were first screened with digital mammography (either Hologic’s Selenia Dimensions or Siemens Healthineers’ Mammomat Revelation), then received ABUS scans with GE HealthCare’s Invenia ABUS system. 

For women with dense breasts, screening with ABUS and DM turned in better performance than DM alone in multiple categories, including:

• Higher cancer detection rate per 1,000 screening exams (9.3 vs. 6.5)
• Better sensitivity (90.9% vs. 63.6%)
• Higher AUC (0.89 vs. 0.79)
• Detection of smaller cancers, with a mean size of 1.2 cm vs. 2.3 cm

On the down side, ABUS + DM in women with dense breasts had lower specificity (86.8% vs. 94.6%), driving higher biopsy rates (3.3% vs. 1.9%) and false-positive biopsy rates (2.4% vs. 1.3%).

The Takeaway

In a time when breast cancer inequities are under the microscope, the new study provides encouraging news that imaging technology can help compensate for the shortcomings of the traditional “one size fits all” paradigm of breast screening. 

The results are also a shot in the arm for ABUS as it seeks to cement a role as a complement to X-ray-based screening mammography, although work remains to be done in improving specificity and recall rates.

Qure.ai & CARPL.ai’s Real Time Validation

Faced with the task of monitoring the thousands of exams its algorithms analyze each day, Qure.ai leveraged CARPL.ai’s validation workflow to create a real-time performance dashboard.

Changing How We Think About MRI

How is Hyperfine changing our thoughts about MRI by making it possible to move its Swoop portable MR imaging system directly to patients? Find out in this Let’s Talk Medtech podcast interview with President and CEO Maria Sainz.

The Wire

• Debate on Teaching from Home: Is it possible for radiology educators to be effective when they spend much of their time working from home? That question was hotly debated at this week’s AUR 2023 meeting, with survey results showing that 45% of respondents reported a “large increase” in faculty working from home in the last year. More importantly, 74% said they thought this had a negative impact on resident education. Time to hit the commute again?

• Childhood Radiation Exposure: The threshold at which children can safely be exposed to medical radiation may be pretty low. That’s according to a new study in Canadian Medical Association Journal, in which researchers from Taiwan tracked cancers in 7,807 kids who got CT scans. A single scan didn’t boost cancer risk, but incidence rose in those with four or more scans (IRR=2.30). The results suggest alternative modalities should be used for kids who require repeat imaging.

• Kaiser to Acquire Geisinger: A blockbuster acquisition is underway between Kaiser Permanente and PA-based Geisinger. Kaiser is launching a new company, Risant Health, to support nonprofit community health systems. Risant Health will operate independently – Geisinger will be folded in and keep its name – while it looks to extend KP’s value-based care model more broadly. KP is planning to invest $5B in Risant over the next five years (revenue was $95B in 2022), and expects to add up to six health systems to Risant in that time.

• AI-Assisted Echo Partnership: In a deal to spur AI-assisted echocardiography reporting, Ascend Cardiovascular has partnered with Us2.ai to integrate that company’s AI algorithms with its InView zero-footprint software for cardiovascular viewing and reporting. Us2.ai’s solution analyzes 2D and Doppler echo images and can automate measurements and pre-populate structured report templates.

• Long COVID Leaves Its Mark: Pulmonary vascular abnormalities are evident on CT scans for up to a year following COVID-19 infection in people with symptoms. So says a study in European Radiology in which French researchers used dual-energy CT angiography in 79 patients who still had symptoms six months after hospitalization. In all, 85% had signs of lung infiltration, 87% had abnormal lung perfusion, and 5% had focal chronic PE. Researchers said the study shows the value of spectral imaging as a complement to high-res CT.

• GE Expands in Surgical Ultrasound: GE HealthCare has enhanced its bkActiv surgical ultrasound scanner to support additional clinical applications for guiding urology, colorectal, and pelvic floor surgeries. bkActiv now provides high-quality prostate, kidney, and bladder images, and also employs color Doppler for visualizing and measuring blood flow during surgeries. The move shows that GEHC continues to invest in BK Medical after acquiring the ultrasound developer in 2021. 

• COVID Causes Cancer Stage Shift: More patients presented with late-stage endometrial cancer after the COVID-19 pandemic than before, indicating a stage shift in diagnosis. In Gynecologic Oncology Reports, researchers studying 384 patients found higher rates of stage IV diagnosis (5.48% vs. 2.08%) and lower rates of stage I diagnosis (75.79% vs. 83.85%). The phenomenon hints that pandemic-related delays in cancer care could be leading to more advanced disease, a trend that could be occurring in other screening exams.

• HAP Signs Delaware Site: Revenue cycle management firm Healthcare Administrative Partners has added Southern Delaware Imaging Associates to its list of customers. HAP will provide SDIA with core revenue cycle services, including billing, coding, carrier credentialing, business intelligence, and MIPS measure assurance services. HAP will also provide SDIA with practice management services.

• Reducing MRI Energy Consumption: Reducing MRI energy consumption is the focus of a new partnership between Siemens Healthineers and UCSF. In a paper in Radiology, researchers describe how they used Siemens technologies at UCSF to monitor and analyze MRI power consumption. Turning scanners off overnight reduced energy use 25-33%, and using a power-save mode led to a further 22-28% reduction. MRI is one of radiology’s biggest contributors to global carbon emissions, a point driven home during this past Earth Day.

• Riverain Supports UCSD Lung Imaging: Riverain Technologies is now supporting the lung imaging program at University of California, San Diego Health. UC San Diego Medical Center has added Riverain’s ClearRead CT software to its lung health service, enabling UCSD clinicians to better visualize possible lung pathology by removing structures like bones, vessels and machine noise from chest CT images. UCSD has implemented ClearRead CT’s Vessel Suppress, Detect, and Compare applications. 

• Reactions Vary to Breast Density News: Women of color who receive breast density notifications are more likely to report anxiety than white women. In a study of 1,322 women in Women’s Health Issues, 86% felt informed after being notified, but 15% felt anxious and 11% were confused. Women of color and those of low literacy levels were two to three times more likely to be anxious. The results show the need for more tailored density reporting as new FDA rules take effect.

Deciding between public and private cloud?

Trying to decide between public and private cloud? Watch this brief Change Healthcare animation detailing the operational benefits of public cloud hosting for imaging.

Get to Know United Imaging

United Imaging Healthcare is excited to be celebrating its 12th anniversary! United has achieved significant growth, and the company could not have done it without the support of its partners. United looks forward to continuing its partnerships for many years to come.

Riverain and the VA’s Precision Alliance

When the VA adopts your technology nationwide, you know you’ve been making an impact. That’s exactly what’s happening with Riverain Technologies’ ClearRead CT, which will be implemented across the VA Lung Precision Oncology Program (22 hub and 87 spoke locations).

The Resource Wire

• See why radiologist Dr. Eleanna Saloura called Arterys’ Lung AI solution “a fast and reliable second opinion” for chest CT lung nodule analysis and tracking, allowing “more accurate diagnostic and treatment decisions.”

• Learn about how Us2.ai is bringing simplicity and clarity to the world of cardiac ultrasound, on the latest episode of The Bleeding Edge of Digital Health featuring Us2.ai’s founders, James Hare and Dr. Carolyn Lam. 

• Why should your health system/imaging organization be considering cloud-based PACS? Find out from real-world customers in this video why Visage Imaging’s Visage 7 CloudPACS offers major benefits over the limitations of legacy PACS.

• This Bayer Radiology case study details how its Certegra P3T Software automates contrast-enhanced abdominal CT injection protocols based on patient characteristics and contrast concentration.

• Managing imaging exams brought in by patients on CDs was slowing down the workflow at Boston Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric trauma center in New England. Find out how the hospital’s pediatric trauma service turned to Intelerad to solve the problem in this case study.

• With burnout and staffing shortages on the rise, and the increasing volume of imaging, radiology teams are searching for solutions. This interactive guide from Nuance can help you create an environment where radiologists thrive by building a powerful imaging strategy with AI-driven, real-time intelligence.

• What tools are available to help radiologists work remotely? In this case study, teleradiology provider 4ways Healthcare of the UK describes how they used Merative’s Merge PACS 8.0 platform to improve their service to clients while supporting remote radiologists.

• Are you seeing the complete picture with your outdated cardiac PET imaging? Check out this Siemens Healthineers patient story, showing how cardiac PET/CT revealed microvascular diseases in a patient who had normal uptake on his PET exam.

• The technology behind PACS has been around for decades, but experts still disagree about the benefits and functionality that PACS should provide. Learn what you should be considering when choosing a PACS in this Enlitic white paper. 

• Check out this Blackford Analysis video detailing how its AI platform streamlines AI adoption and workflows, allowing radiology teams to achieve AI’s clinical benefits without operational sacrifices.

• What limits you? We understand you are faced with a multitude of challenges. From staff shortages to accurate detection and beyond, GE HealthCare’s breast imaging portfolio can empower you to surpass your limits. Visit GE HealthCare’s booth at SBI 2023 to learn more.

• What are the factors that contribute to errors and misreads in radiology – and how can they be prevented? Find out how to improve your practice’s quality and accuracy in this white paper from Medality. 

• Annalise.ai’s Annalise CXR solution detects up to 124 findings in a single chest X-ray. See how it detects such a wide range of abnormalities using these demo studies …  or upload your own CXR images.

• New AI-based reconstruction tools are making it possible to perform imaging exams that are faster and at lower radiation dose. Learn from the experts how it’s done in this webinar recording hosted by Subtle Medical and Incepto.