|
MRI in Paradise, Black Lung Screening Restored, and LLM Cyberthreats
May 15, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
Together with
|
|
|
|
“Prenuvo has scanned 110,000+ healthy people with whole-body MRI. Very few see it this way, but the ‘Prenuvo cohort’ could be tomorrow’s Framingham. A new era of population health is taking shape.”
|
|
Amine Korchi, MD, commenting on a talk on whole-body MRI at ISMRM 2025.
|
|
|
|
The global MRI community this week traveled to paradise to convene its annual meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. If you were one of the lucky ones to be in attendance in Honolulu, Hawaii for ISMRM 2025, you were treated to some of the latest news in radiology’s most powerful modality.
As has been the case at other radiology meetings, AI took center stage in Honolulu.
- AI has multiple use cases in MRI, from helping radiologists interpret images more efficiently to accelerating scans and upscaling lower-field images to resemble high-field exams.
Just a few of the news highlights from ISMRM 2025 are below …
- Using AI to interpret prostate MRI reduced reading times by 48% (250 to 120 seconds) while improving the diagnostic performance of both experienced and less experienced radiologists.
- AI of thyroid T2-weighted neck MRI scans demonstrated good accuracy (87%) for nodules larger than 1 cm, indicating a possible role for screening and monitoring.
- Researchers presented progress in creating brain charts of white matter based on MRI scans of 24k cognitively healthy people that can be used to track normal and abnormal brain development.
- Brain MRI showed that lower brain volumes in people with coronary artery disease were associated with worse aerobic fitness and higher BMI, revealing a link between cardiovascular and brain health.
- Chinese researchers showed their work on PMEEN, a multimodality brain scanner that combines PET, MRI, EEG, eye-tracking, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
- A Spanish team demonstrated research on a low-field PET/MRI scanner with focused ultrasound capability for therapeutic applications.
- AI could be used during abbreviated breast MRI screening scans to convert women mid-exam to a full MRI protocol if abnormalities are detected.
- 7T MRI was used to detect iron deposits in the brain, which could be a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.
- MRI with an ultrashort echo time protocol could be an alternative to CT for following up lung nodules.
- Researchers presented a deep learning-based approach to generating synthetic contrast-like MR images without gadolinium.
- MGH researchers showed progress in developing a 136mT portable MRI scanner for bedside brain scanning of preterm neonates.
The Takeaway
The rapid proliferation of news about AI-based MRI at ISMRM 2025 suggests its own vision of paradise – a world in which MRI can be deployed more widely than ever before, where radiologists with AI assistance detect disease in many cases before symptoms even occur. We can only dream.
|
|
Connect with Intelerad at SIIM 2025
Join Intelerad at booth #533 at SIIM 2025 to learn how they are redefining healthcare imaging with innovative solutions designed to provide a clear path to answers. Schedule your visit today.
|
|
What Does Improved MRI Efficiency Mean?
There’s a growing need for practical, cost-effective solutions to improve efficiency in MRI and other modalities. Read this article from Karen Holzberger of SpinTech MRI and James Backstrom, MD, to learn how the company’s STAGE software can help.
|
|
- Feds Restore Black Lung Detection Program: The U.S. government NIOSH B-reader program that uses chest X-ray to detect signs of lung diseases like black lung and silicosis in coal miners was resumed this week after being paused as part of the Trump Administration’s budget cuts. HHS had laid off some 900 NIOSH workers (90% of the occupational safety agency’s workforce), effectively killing the program, but reversed course after a federal lawsuit and Congressional hearings on May 14 that questioned the layoffs.
- HHS Calls for Healthcare Deregulation: In other regulatory news, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. this week announced a plan to deregulate HHS and FDA by identifying and eliminating “outdated or unnecessary regulations.” The plan’s centerpiece is a “10 to 1” deregulatory policy – for every new regulation proposed, at least 10 existing regulatory actions will be rescinded. What’s more, the total cost of all new regulations for fiscal 2025 “must be significantly less than zero.” A 60-day comment period on the proposal opened this week.
- GE Launches 1.5T MRI at ISMRM: GE HealthCare launched a new premium 1.5T MRI scanner with high-performance gradients at this week’s ISMRM 2025 conference. The 510(k)-pending Signa Sprint scanner sports gradients previously found only on 3T systems, and are rated at a strength of 65 mT/m and slew rate of 200 T/m/s per axis. The powerful gradients are designed to support quantitative MRI and visualization of sub-millimeter structures for applications like monitoring treatment response in oncology patients.
- Philips Partners with NVIDIA on AI for MRI: Philips and NVIDIA used ISMRM 2025 to announce a new partnership to build an AI foundational model for performing MRI scans. The model will enable zero-click scan planning across different anatomical regions, and will enable radiologists to preview images and adjust quality and speed parameters. In other Philips ISMRM news, the company extended its partnership with Polarean for xenon lung function imaging to children as young as six (pending FDA clearance).
- The Cost of Skipping Breast Screening: Skipping regular breast cancer screening isn’t just bad for women’s health – it’s also expensive. A new analysis from Nomi Health found that treating women with advanced-stage breast cancer who weren’t screened costs 58% more than screened patients at the same stage ($120.5k vs. $76.5k), while the average cost per breast cancer episode was 18% higher at $25.8k. Unscreened women are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with stage IV metastatic cancer (8.9% vs. 3.8%).
- Pandemic Delays Breast Biopsy: It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted breast screening services, but a new study in JACR found that its impact on breast biopsy turnaround persisted for over a year. In a study of 4.2k patients, median time to biopsy rose 45% from before the pandemic shutdown to 18 months afterward (11 to 16 days). Uninsured patients were most likely to experience delays, (OR=2.7), as were Black and Asian patients (OR=1.6 and 1.9, respectively).
- Breast Texture Linked to Cancer Risk: A new study in Radiology identifies characteristics of breast texture on mammograms that can indicate higher breast cancer risk. Researchers used radiomics to analyze screening mammograms from 30k women to find characteristics of parenchymal tissue texture – such as gray-level intensity, structures, or patterns – that predicted rates of invasive cancer or even false-negative mammograms and interval cancer diagnoses. Radiomics-based analysis could be more predictive than simply breast density or clinical factors.
- FDA Clears United Imaging Angio: United Imaging received FDA clearance for the company’s first interventional angiography system, uAngio AVIVA. The ceiling-mounted system debuted at SIR 2025 earlier this year, and United Imaging is highlighting features including intelligent eight-axis robotics for more flexible positioning, voice assist and hands-free image review, and uVERA IQ AI-based image reconstruction that enables acquisition of high-quality images at low radiation doses. The product launch represents a significant expansion for United Imaging into interventional radiology and cardiology.
- Study Confirms Ultrasound Contrast Safety: A new study in Journal of the American Heart Association supports ultrasound contrast agent safety. In a review of 3M patients who got echocardiography studies, those who received contrast had lower mortality rates after two days than those who didn’t (0.02% vs. 0.14%). Serious adverse event rates were very low (1 in 10k cases) and were similar between three agents on the U.S. market. The study comes as contrast proponents seek to remove the FDA’s black box warning on ultrasound contrast.
- CT Equal to Angio for Obstructive CAD: In a secondary analysis of the DISCHARGE trial, researchers found that quality-of-life outcomes for patients suspected of coronary artery disease were about the same whether CT or invasive angiography was used first for evaluation. Researchers in JAMA Cardiology studied 3.6k patients, finding little difference in outcome metrics like health survey responses and reported chest pain at 3.5 years of follow-up. Either test can be used to evaluate chest pain, although CT is obviously less invasive.
- CTPA Use Grows 50% in 7 Years: The use of CT pulmonary angiography scans to detect pulmonary embolism rose 49% in seven years at a large urban hospital, but the rate of positive scans remained about the same. Writing in a paper in Clinical Radiology, researchers documented growth in annual volume from 2017-2023 (2.5k to 3.7k scans), with the positivity rate remaining constant at 9.1% – a sign that rising volumes did not compromise diagnostic yield (a possible sign of overuse).
- MRI Detects Rare Heart Condition: U.K. researchers discovered that cardiac MRI can detect a rare genetic heart condition called lamin heart disease. Writing in a study of 187 patients in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, researchers found that cardiac MRI detected heart inflammation, scarring, and impaired function in people carrying the mutated LMNA gene that would have been missed with tests like ECG and echocardiography.
- Harrison.ai Lands Annalise Install: Harrison.ai will be installing its Annalise.ai radiology AI software at an imaging practice in Arkansas. Radiology Associates of Little Rock will deploy Annalise Critical Care AI, the company’s AI triage package for chest X-ray and non-contrast head CT scans. Radiology Associates expects the software to reduce turnaround time for critical cases and improve radiologist efficiency.
- Are LLMs Healthcare Cyberthreats? Do large language model AI algorithms represent a cybersecurity risk to healthcare providers? A new special report in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence suggests that LLMs could present threats such as by allowing malicious actors to extract sensitive patient data, manipulate information, or alter outcomes. Fortunately the report includes suggestions for radiology practices to protect themselves and their patients, such as with secure deployment environments, strong encryption, and continuous monitoring of algorithm interactions.
- Bialogics Debuts AI QA Tool: A new quality assurance tool to monitor AI performance was launched this week by Bialogics Analytics, which debuted its AI Quality Framework for continuous real-time assessment of AI performance. AIQ validates AI outputs against ground truth from radiologist interpretations, scoring AI metrics like concordance, sensitivity, and specificity. It also assesses AI’s impact on report turnaround time, productivity, and radiologist workload.
|
|
Can Whole-Body MRI Revolutionize Medical Imaging?
In this episode of The Radiology Report, Medality CEO Daniel Arnold sits down with Daniel Durand, MD, of Prenuvo to explore how whole-body MRI is reshaping the future of preventive care.
|
|
Connect with Calantic by Bayer at SIIM 2025
Visit Calantic by Bayer at SIIM 2025 to learn how they are helping clinicians leverage radiology AI to enhance the patient experience. See their schedule of presentations or book at meeting today at booth #231-235.
|
|
MRI That’s Lighter, Faster, and Sharper
Rise above and experience MRI excellence with Philips BlueSeal, the industry’s lightest, vent pipe-free, high-performance, helium-free 1.5T scanner. Watch this video to see how it can benefit your practice.
|
|
- Achieve More with AI You Can Trust: Visit Microsoft at SIIM 2025 to experience how Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare can empower your workforce and unlock insights. Request a meeting or stop by at booth #314-316.
- AI Echo’s Workflow Impact: AI echo is having a major impact on workflows, enabling healthcare personnel to scan more efficiently. In this Imaging Wire Show, we talk to Wojciech Mazur, MD, of The Christ Hospital and Dave Ladd of Us2.ai about AI echo’s clinical value.
- Presenting Unboxing AI: Check out CARPL’s video series, Unboxing AI, featuring experts discussing AI and its future in radiology. The next episode on May 15 features Christopher McKee of Better Medicine – reserve your seat today.
- Patient-Centered Innovation with Photon-Counting CT: Siemens Healthineers is committed to transforming medical imaging with its NAEOTOM Alpha class, now featuring three photon-counting CT systems. Find out how they can enhance your diagnostic results.
- What’s Next for AI for Cancer Detection? AI is transforming the fight against cancer by enabling faster and more accurate cancer detection. Read this article from DeepHealth to learn how the company is pioneering new ways to advance cancer screening and broader imaging-based care.
- Orchestrating AI Across the Healthcare Enterprise: If you’re attending SIIM 2025, stop by booth #237 to meet the Blackford team and discover how they are orchestrating AI across the healthcare enterprise to elevate patient care.
- Seamless, Connected Healthcare: Clearpath is committed to facilitating seamless, continued healthcare by optimizing automation and workflows between patients and providers. Learn how the company’s solutions contribute to a healthcare environment where every step of the patient journey is connected and efficient.
- How to Standardize CT Images: The quality and appearance of CT scans can vary considerably. In this white paper from Riverain Technologies, find out how image normalization can standardize CT images, making them easier to analyze and interpret.
- Visit Enlitic at SIIM 2025: Visit Enlitic at SIIM 2025 at booth #530 to learn about their solutions for data standardization and migration, including their new partnership with GE HealthCare powering the data migration feature in GE’s new Genesis cloud portfolio. Book a demo today.
- Make the Most of Your SIIM Experience with Mach7: See innovations from Mach7 Technologies in action at SIIM 2025. Schedule a demo of their industry-leading eUnity Enterprise Diagnostic Viewer or explore their groundbreaking UnityVue radiology solution. Reach new heights in imaging informatics with Mach7 at booth #514-516.
- Discover How to Deliver Care without Gaps: Learn how to unlock the impact of better care experiences with PocketHealth at SIIM 2025. Discover how AI-powered patient engagement and seamless image exchange can bridge care gaps. Book a demo today!
- Preparing for the Future of Enterprise Imaging: What do health IT and imaging leaders need to know about moving medical images to the cloud? Find out how to prepare for enterprise imaging’s future in this downloadable e-book from Optum.
- Book a Visage Demo at SIIM 2025: Visage Imaging is trailblazing medical imaging’s SaaS move to the cloud with an open cloud philosophy based on industry standards and multi-cloud support. Learn more by registering for a priority demo at SIIM 2025 or visit them at booths #627-631.
- AI-Empowered CT Workflow: CT systems from United Imaging are designed for high image quality and low dose, and their AI-empowered workflow enables fast and reproducible positioning, helping you image patients with confidence. Learn more on this page.
- See AGFA Innovations at SIIM 2025: Visit AGFA HealthCare at SIIM 2025 to see how their innovative approach to enterprise imaging is advancing diagnostic confidence, clinical collaboration, and operational efficiency across healthcare systems. Book a demo today or swing by booth #431-433.
- Perspectives on Cybersecurity in Medical Imaging: Healthcare organizations are a prime target for cyberattacks, so how can you proactively defend yourself against these threats? Learn how to protect your operations – and your patients – by watching this on-demand webinar from Merge.
- Unprecedented Insights Made Possible with AI: With the largest normative dataset of whole-body imaging in the world, Prenuvo’s AI researchers partner with the best academic minds to understand – like never before – what “normal” aging means. Learn about their work today.
- Visit Kailo Medical at SIIM 2025: Learn about the latest synoptic reporting solutions by visiting Kailo Medical at booth #539 at SIIM 2025. Book an appointment today to find out how their technology can make radiology reporting easier while maximizing efficiency.
|
|
|
|
|
