Amine Korchi, MD, in a Twitter/X post on the prominence of AI at RSNA 2023.

Imaging Wire Sponsors

Bayer  •  Blackford  •  CARPL.ai  •  Change Healthcare  •  Clearpath  •  Enlitic  •  GE HealthCare  •  Gleamer  •  Intelerad  •  Medality  •  Merge by Merative  •  Nuance  •  PocketHealth  •  Riverain Technologies  •  Siemens Healthineers  •  SpinTech MRI  •  Subtle Medical  •  United Imaging  •  Us2.ai  •  Visage Imaging

Medical Imaging

Welcome to RSNA 2023

It’s off to the races at RSNA 2023 as radiology’s showcase conference kicked off on Sunday. 

“Leading Through Change” is the theme of this year’s meeting, and it’s an appropriate slogan for a specialty that seems on the cusp of disruption with the growing use of AI, deep learning, and other tools. 

• AI is being featured prominently in scientific presentations and vendor exhibits in McCormick Place, with a particular focus on whether large language models like ChatGPT can find practical application in radiology. Early research is promising but still inconclusive.

Another major focus at RSNA 2023 has been lung cancer screening, with Sunday afternoon sessions investigating how screening can be expanded: 

• Researchers mined a database of 32k women who got screening mammography to find eligible candidates for lung screening, finding 5% who met screening criteria. 
• Using the USPTSF’s 2021 guideline revision to find screening candidates led to shorter smoking histories (42 vs. 29 pack-years) and slightly more women being eligible (48% vs. 46%). 
• ChatGPT gave more correct answers than Google Bard to non-expert questions on lung screening (71% vs. 52%).
• ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Bard needed multiple iterations to produce reports readable by patients. 

AI is also proving its value for selecting screening candidates and identifying lung pathology: 

• An AI algorithm analyzed chest X-rays to determine whether an individual would benefit from CT lung cancer screening – even if they don’t smoke. In 17.4k patients, the model classified 28% as high risk, 2.9% of whom were later diagnosed with lung cancer, a higher level than the 1.3% six-year threshold at which guidelines recommend CT lung screening.
• A deep learning algorithm analyzed chest X-rays in a cohort of 10k patients to predict who would develop type 2 diabetes, turning in better accuracy than a model that only looked at clinical factors like age, BMI and HbA1c levels (AUCs:  0.84 vs. 0.79). 

Looking for more coverage of RSNA 2023? Be sure to check out our videos from the technical exhibit floor, which you can find on our new Shows page. 

The Takeaway
The RSNA has always been known as the Super Bowl of radiology, and this year’s meeting is off to a great start. Be sure to check back on our Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages for more coverage of this week’s events in Chicago.

Sub-Second Image Display with CloudPACS

Visage Imaging continues to lead medical imaging’s managed services SaaS move to the cloud. Learn how Visage 7 CloudPACS delivers sub-second image display by registering for a demo at Booth #4329 in the South Hall at RSNA 2023.

Take Aim with Medality at RSNA 2023

Want to take a deeper dive into radiologist education and toss some darts in the process? If you’re a radiologist at RSNA 2023, drop by and meet the team from Medality at Flight Club at 111 W Wacker Dr. on Tuesday, November 28 from 6:15 – 8:15 pm. RSVP today.

The Wire

• MRI Shows Brain Activity Behind Fanaticism: In a paper presented at RSNA 2023, Chilean researchers showed how functional MRI scans revealed the changes in brain activation that occur in hard-core soccer fans, revealing insights into the physiological nature of fanaticism. Researchers performed fMRI scans of 43 healthy Chilean soccer fans – split between two rival teams – who watched videos of matches containing goals. The fMRI scans revealed that brain activity changed when a fan’s team succeeded or failed. 

• MRI Detects Long COVID’s Impact: In another RSNA paper, German researchers used MRI with a diffusion microstructure imaging (DMI) protocol to visualize brain changes from long COVID-19, which affects 10-25% of COVID patients. In 89 patients, those with long COVID had microstructural changes in different brain regions that weren’t found in those who never had COVID or who had COVID but not long-term symptoms. Interestingly, gray matter alterations were found in both types of COVID patients. 

• AI of MRI Diagnoses Autism: In another presentation from RSNA, researchers showed how an AI algorithm that analyzed brain MRI scans of children ages 24-48 months was able to diagnose autism at an early stage. The algorithm analyzes diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) scans and extracts markers that indicate connectivity between brain regions, which can signify autism. In 226 young children with and without autism, AI had 97% sensitivity, 98% specificity, and overall accuracy of 99% in identifying those with autism. Early diagnosis could accelerate therapies to improve IQ and achieve greater independence. 

• More Screening Saves More Lives: In some non-RSNA news, a modeling study in JAMA Network Open found that boosting compliance rates by 10 points for four major screening exams would save thousands of lives annually. For CT lung screening, each 10-percentage-point increase would save 1k lives out of the 987k people eligible for screening under 2021 USPSTF criteria. For breast screening, 1.8k lives would be saved out of 2.2M eligible women. The study serves as a response to skeptics who questioned screening’s value earlier this year.  

• GE’s Remote MRI Scanning Cleared: GE HealthCare has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new version of Digital Expert Access, which enables radiologic technologists to access MRI scanners at other locations and assist with setting protocols and other functions. The new version enables remote technologists to initiate scans on GE MRI scanners; separately, GE announced a distribution deal with IONIC Health of Brazil, which has developed multivendor/multimodality remote scanning software. Vendors have been developing remote scanning tools to help customers deal with the ongoing technologist shortage.

• Qure Highlights Lung Screening Milestone: AI developer Qure.ai is highlighting a new milestone in the company’s involvement with AstraZeneca in the World Economic Forum’s EDISON Alliance, a global project to leverage AI to improve lung cancer detection. Qure’s AI algorithms have been used in the scanning of 1M people, a strong start on the goal of ultimately scanning 5M individuals. Data on the project’s activities in Vietnam (31k screened, 0.7% malignancy detection rate) were recently presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. 

• FDA Clears New Siemens PET/CT: Siemens Healthineers has received FDA clearance for Biograph Vision.X, a new PET/CT scanner that the vendor originally debuted at SNMMI 2023. A key feature of the system is its 178-picosecond time of flight (TOF), a 20% improvement in TOF that enables improved lesion detection and anatomical detail. The scanner uses silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detectors, which support 3.2 x 3.2mm lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystal elements for higher spatial resolution. 

• Blackford Adds to Platform: Blackford Analysis has partnered with AIQ Solutions to add AIQ’s clinical decision support technology to the Blackford platform. The deal gives platform users access AIQ’s TRAQinform IQ tool for analyzing and quantifying metastatic tumors. Separately, Blackford added contextflow’s Advance chest CT solution to the platform as well. The firms are the latest in a series of recent additions to the platform, including Enlitic, Ligence Medical AI Solutions, Brainreader, AI4MedImaging, and Lunit. 

• 5T MRI Leads United’s RSNA Lineup: A 5-tesla MRI scanner that’s pending FDA clearance is spearheading United Imaging’s offerings at RSNA 2023. uMR Jupiter 5T was first shown at ECR 2023 and hits what United believes is a sweet spot between 3T and 7T scanners. Other highlights at this week’s conference include United’s uAIFI technology platform for bringing AI to MRI, the uCT Atlas ultra-premium CT scanner, uDR 380i Pro mobile x-ray system, and uMI Panorama family of PET/CT scanners. 

• Subtle Medical Makes Workflow Play: At RSNA 2023, Subtle Medical is highlighting a new software package it is developing called SubtleALLY, designed to improve radiologist workflow by automating processes physicians currently perform manually, such as image quality checks, image labeling, and image reformats. The company is also showcasing its FDA-pending SubtleSYNTH software that synthesizes MRI scans to create new views from existing scans. The company has also reported a “surge in demand” for its flagship SubtleMR and SubtlePET applications. 

• New CT Scanners Pace Canon at RSNA: Two new CT scanners are leading the charge of new Canon Medical Systems USA products at RSNA 2023. Aquilion One Insight Edition is the company’s new super-premium flagship, with a new imaging chain, gantry with 0.24-second rotation, and more powerful tubes, while Aquilion Serve SP is a workhorse scanner with new advanced features; both scanners have Canon’s new Instinx AI-powered workflow. Canon has also revamped its Cartesion Prime PET/CT line with three digital scanners – Aero, 80, and 160 – while in MRI Canon is discussing its PIQE algorithm for reconstructing super-resolution MR images.

• ScreenPoint Medical Touts Milestones: Over 5M mammograms – 1M of which were DBT studies – have now been analyzed with ScreenPoint Medical’s Transpara AI software. Transpara is in use at hundreds of sites globally, and the company is highlighting a number of recent papers based on the algorithm, including a paper in Radiology in which it helped radiologists focus on high-risk breast screen exams, and the MASAI study in which Transpara cut radiologists’ workload by 44%. 

• Yale Evaluates SpinTech MRI Software: SpinTech MRI’s STAGE quantitative MRI software platform is being analyzed by Yale New Haven Hospital and YNHH Center for Health Care Innovation. Yale will assess the operational and clinical impact of STAGE for routine neuroimaging exams, including a review of cases for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and other conditions. STAGE is an image post-processing application that can accelerate brain exams by 30% while improving image clarity.

A Milestone Study for Cardiac Strain Analysis

Us2.ai’s deep learning algorithm was able to interpret echo AI left ventricular strain images with similar accuracy as conventional measurements. Read all about this milestone study and its implications for patient management in EHJ-Digital Health.

Clarity, Speed, and Confidence in MRI

Don’t miss SpinTech MRI’s RSNA 2023 session at 2 pm November 27 with James Backstrom, MD, who will share how he drove MRI efficiency for a busy radiology department by utilizing the company’s STAGE platform.

How to Help Radiologists Thrive

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.

The Resource Wire

• Clearpath – South Hall, Booth #4005: What’s the latest news from Clearpath? Find out at RSNA 2023 how its fully automated patient and provider solutions for sharing medical records and images are making waves in healthcare. Book a demo today!

• Siemens Healthineers – South Hall, Booth #2529: Patients’ zip codes shouldn’t determine the healthcare they receive. Siemens Healthineers aims to make advanced diagnostic imaging accessible for all patients. Learn more at RSNA 2023.

• PocketHealth – South Hall, Booth #2801: Expect more from your image exchange solution. Learn how PocketHealth can help you eliminate network barriers and build stronger lifetime relationships with your patients. Visit the booth for a demo or the Innovation Theater at 10:30 am Monday November 27.

• Blackford – South Hall, Booth #3951: AI can help your radiology practice in a variety of applications, from detecting pulmonary nodules on chest CT to improving echocardiography readings. Learn more from AI developers on the Blackford Platform at RSNA 2023. 

• GE HealthCare – North Hall, Booth #7326: Join GE HealthCare at RSNA 2023 at Booth #7326 in the North Hall at McCormick Place. Come see what’s new in their Innovation Theater, or drop in virtually and watch a livestream. 

• Enlitic – South Hall, Booth #4729: Enlitic plans to showcase its cutting-edge solutions at RSNA 2023, including data standardization tools, innovative use cases, and compelling case studies. Prepare for your conference by scheduling a time with Enlitic today. 

• Subtle Medical – South Hall, Booth #4347: How can Subtle Medical’s advanced solutions like SubtleMR and SubtlePET – and upcoming SubtleSYNTH launch – improve image quality, workflow efficiency, and patient care? Find out in this RSNA 2023 Lunch & Learn session at 12 pm Tuesday November 28. 

• Merge by Merative – North Hall, Booth #7313: Join Bill Kazee of Merge by Merative in the Innovation Theater on Tuesday November 28 at 11 am, where he will share how new, innovative imaging solutions can help combat burnout and climbing caseloads, create more enjoyable reading experiences, extend care team collaboration, and drive better patient outcomes.

• Gleamer – South Hall, Booth #4373: Gleamer is dedicated to pioneering the future of medical imaging. Book a demo at RSNA 2023 to see the company’s BoneView AI solution in action and experience how it can transform your radiology practice. 

• CARPL.ai – South Hall, Booth #5159: Learn about the right approach to AI adoption at RSNA 2023. Discover how CARPL.ai and the platform approach enable seamless integration of radiology AI, create true clinical impact, and drive ROI.

• Change Healthcare – North Hall, Booth #7318: Imagine the relief of knowing faster. Join Change Healthcare at Booth #7318 and experience centralized data that’s served up anywhere, no waiting.

• Riverain Technologies – South Hall, Booth #4757: Stop by Riverain Technologies at RSNA 2023 for a series of panel discussions on important topics in radiology, from CT lung cancer screening to AI deployment. Schedule an appointment today.

• Intelerad – North Hall, Booth #6104: Join Intelerad at RSNA 2023 for a Lunch & Learn educational panel at 12 pm Monday November 27 in Room S501 where we will explore why health equity is in radiology’s lane, moderated by Geraldine McGinty, MD. Register today.

• Bayer Calantic Digital Solutions – South Hall, Booth #4747: Visit the Bayer AI Visionary Theater at RSNA 2023 to hear from Calantic Digital Solutions and Blackford Analysis teams on how to ignite your AI imaging strategy. Reserve your spot today.

• United Imaging – South Hall, Booth #4100: At RSNA 2023, United Imaging will be celebrating five years of commercial operations and over a decade of investment in the US. Learn about United’s passion for change and see the company’s full range of products across imaging modalities.