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Pediatric MRI Safety, RTs and Remote Radiology, and PSMA-PET
May 11, 2026
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Together with
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“[I]n real hospitals, the same clinicians who joke about radiology spend half the day waiting for imaging, calling radiologists, discussing cases with radiologists, or asking for an urgent second opinion from radiologists. Because modern medicine without imaging simply collapses.”
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Gennaro D’Anna, MD, in a thread on how TV shows like “The Pitt” portray radiologists.
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Welcome to issue #800 of The Imaging Wire!
This week’s milestone is a good time to look back on the progress our little newsletter has made since its founding by CEO Jake Fishman in a San Diego coffee shop eight years ago.
The Imaging Wire and parent company Insight Links have grown from those humble origins into a healthcare media titan with two other titles in its portfolio – Digital Health Wire and Cardiac Wire – and more to come.
Most of all, we want to thank you – our readers and sponsors. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Thanks for reading! – Brian Casey, Managing Editor
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This past year has seen a renewed focus on MRI safety after a fatal accident in New York in 2025. Most of the attention has been on adult MRI, but what about kids? A new analysis in JACR finds that pediatric MRI accidents are fortunately rare, but occur often enough that continued vigilance is warranted.
Pediatric MRI poses particular safety challenges to imaging facilities. Caregivers are often in the scanning room to comfort children, and sedation is frequently required to keep kids still during exams.
- But pediatric MRI safety hasn’t been studied as extensively as it has in adults, so researchers from five U.S. children’s hospitals reviewed MRI safety events that occurred at their facilities from 2017 to 2022.
Researchers focused on reported events that occurred within Zone IV, the area under the ACR’s four-zone safety model that includes the scanner room. They found…
- A total of 146 safety events occurred in Zone IV out of 541k pediatric exams, for an event rate of 0.027%.
- An average of 4.9 events per year occurred at each site, or 3.3 events per 100k exams.
- Event types involved projectiles (30%), burn/thermal injuries (13%), and implants (10%).
- 78 events (53%) directly involved patients.
- Ten events (6.8%) were classified as serious.
Frequent causes of events included medical equipment and supplies (anesthesia equipment and monitors, stethoscopes, and needles) and personal items like phones and badges.
- Implanted devices like cochlear implants represent a growing challenge, as 20%-30% of children getting MRI scans have them, and safety events occurred despite sites following manufacturers’ guidelines.
Why did the safety events happen? Study authors found that MRI safety protocols weren’t followed in 60% of events.
- Lack of protocol adherence is a common refrain in MRI accidents that have involved adults, illustrating that all the guidelines and rules in the world won’t help if they aren’t followed to the letter.
The Takeaway
The new study on pediatric MRI safety highlights the fact that children shouldn’t just be treated like little adults when it comes to safe scanning procedures. The research offers a benchmark against which pediatric imaging facilities can measure themselves, while also offering additional guidance on mistakes to avoid when scanning kids.
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Visit Visage at SIIM 2026
At this year’s SIIM 2026, Visage Imaging will demonstrate its Visage 7 solution operating across the entire Apple ecosystem, including on Apple Silicon-powered workstations with multiple Studio Display XDRs. Book a priority demo today or drop by booth #404-408.
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Purpose-Built for Modern Radiology
MosaicOS from Mosaic Clinical Technologies unites clinical expertise, AI, and advanced workflow tools in one intuitive platform. Find out how it can expand your clinical capacity and speed up turnaround times today.
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A Breakthrough in Imaging Data Standardization
Enlitic’s Ensight 2.2 is a breakthrough in imaging data standardization that gives health systems a clearer, more detailed understanding of imaging data, accelerating the path from implementation to impact. Find out what it can do for you today.
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- Remote Radiology’s Challenges for RTs: Sure, teleradiology has been (mostly) great for radiologists. But how does remote image interpretation affect radiologic technologists working on-site, especially at facilities with no radiologist on staff? The challenges are described in an eye-opening AJR article by medical student Zier Zhou, who spent a 14-week rotation at a 37-bed hospital in rural Canada. Zhou describes the challenges RTs face, from unclear exam orders to difficulties in patient positioning without radiologists present. She recommends better communication to bridge gaps between physically separated radiologists and technologists.
- PSMA-PET Drives Better Prostate Cancer Treatment: Growing adoption of PET with PSMA radiotracers is driving the use of more advanced prostate cancer treatments. A new study in JAMA Oncology found that among 5.9k patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer, those who got PSMA-PET were over twice as likely to receive androgen receptor pathway inhibitors than those who got conventional imaging like CT or bone scans (15.6% vs. 7.7%). Treatment with any kind of systemic therapy was also more common with PSMA-PET (50% vs. 40%).
- Bayer Advances Research on PET Amyloidosis: Pharmaceutical giant Bayer is reporting progress in a clinical trial of a PET radiotracer for detecting cardiac amyloidosis it acquired from Attralus in 2026. In the REVEAL study of iodine-124 evuzamitide, the tracer met clinical endpoints for sensitivity and specificity in a study with 170 patients, and Bayer plans to present specific findings at an upcoming scientific conference. Cardiac amyloidosis is a severe, progressive disease that impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood, but is difficult to diagnose noninvasively with existing tools.
- Radioisotope Firm Pursues U.S. Site: The U.S. could get another source for medical radioisotope production. Eden Radioisotopes filed an application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to start production on a facility in southeastern New Mexico that would produce medical radioisotopes including molybdenum-99, the precursor to technetium-99m, the most commonly used medical radioisotope. The site would also produce lutetium-177, used for theranostics procedures. The U.S. relies on international sources for many of its radioisotopes.
- LLMs Tackle Prior Auth Denials: Everyone hates dealing with payors when disputing prior authorization denials for medical imaging scans. So why not let AI handle them? Researchers tried just that in the DENIED-AI study in Academic Radiology, testing the ability of four large language models to write insurance appeals letters. Four interventional radiologists gave the letters decent scores on a five-point scale for content and grammar (3.9 and 4.3, respectively). But hallucinations occurred, leading authors to conclude that while feasible, LLM-generated denial appeals needed human oversight.
- DeepSeek Powers Chest X-Ray AI: China’s DeepSeek stunned the world in January 2025 with the release of a powerful AI large language model, and the LLM technology underpins a foundation model powering a new AI algorithm for chest X-ray interpretation. Called Janus-Pro-CXR, the open-source model was tested on 296 patients in a new paper in Nature Communications. Janus-Pro-CXR improved the diagnostic performance of junior radiologists by 18 percentage points and helped them produce faster reports (121 vs. 148 seconds).
- Rivanna Gets MSK Ultrasound Nod: Ultrasound developer Rivanna received FDA 510(k) clearance for Accuro XV, an ultrasound scanner targeted at musculoskeletal clinical applications. Accuro XV has been a major priority for the company since it received a $30.5M U.S. BARDA grant in 2023 to advance the project. With a 510(k) in hand, Rivanna will now focus on building AI-enabled capabilities for the system, such as BoneEnhance for bone visualization and CADe/x for automated fracture detection.
- Ultrasound AI for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A commonly used commercially available ultrasound AI algorithm for breast cancer just got a little better. Researchers in a paper in MDPI took Koios Medical’s Koios DS 2.0 decision-support algorithm and trained it with additional cases to improve its ability to distinguish malignant from benign lesions in triple-negative breast cancer. When used as an adjunct to BI-RADS for lesion classification, the re-trained algorithm boosted specificity versus BI-RADS alone (74% vs. 64%), which would reduce false-positive recalls by over 25%.
- Quibim Brings Vara Breast AI to Spain: Quibim signed an agreement with Vara to market the German company’s mammography AI software in Spain and develop a breast AI package integrated with its own solutions. Vara’s AI algorithm is already used to process 50% of the mammograms in Germany’s national breast screening program, while Quibim is finalizing development of QP Breast for breast MRI exams. Offering an integrated AI package for both mammography and breast MRI would enable Quibim to help Spanish hospitals improve their breast imaging services.
- Gaps in AI for CT Lung Screening: As CT lung cancer screening ramps up worldwide, how useful will AI be in managing patients? In a new analysis in European Radiology, researchers reviewed 16 CE-marked AI lung screening algorithms sold in Europe, finding that only 10 were supported by publicly available peer-reviewed research. No algorithm performed all the tasks required for lung screening, particularly for identifying endobronchial and cystic lesions (the study didn’t measure performance metrics like sensitivity and specificity).
- Deep Learning Reduces CT Radiation Dose: Researchers in Japan used Canon Medical’s Precise IQ Engine deep-learning CT image reconstruction protocol to reduce radiation dose 70% while preserving image quality for cancer follow-up. In a paper in European Journal of Radiology, surveillance scans after tumor resection in 271 patients were performed at a sharply lower CTDIvol radiation dose (3 vs. 11 mGy). Compared to two other reconstruction methods, radiologists preferred PIQE, giving it the best noise and image quality ratings, and they detected 100% of lesions on PIQE images.
- GE Launches Therapy Planning Software: GE HealthCare launched software for planning and evaluating radiation therapy procedures for gynecological cancers. The company’s MIM ComboTherapy GYN HDR/EBRT solution supports high-dose-rate brachytherapy and external-beam radiation therapy, as a combination of the two approaches is often used for gynecological cancer treatment. The solution provides a visual, quantitative approach to radiation dose summation between both modalities.
- Esaote Moves Intraoperative MRI Ahead: At AANS 2026 earlier this month, Esaote highlighted recent advances in its development of I-Genius, an open MRI scanner for intraoperative guidance during neurosurgical procedures, in particular, glioma surgeries. The scanner uses a 0.25T magnet with specialized coils that enable the patient to remain on the scanner table during surgeries. Esaote said I-Genius has “a clear pathway toward the U.S. market” and the scanner is pending FDA clearance.
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Unify Image Visualization Across Your Organization
eUnity from Mach7 Technologies is radiology’s leading zero-footprint viewing and vendor-independent integration platform, giving clinicians fast, uninterrupted access to diagnostic images from disparate or proprietary systems. Schedule a demo today.
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Next-Generation 1.5T MRI
Echelon Synergy from Fujifilm Healthcare Americas is a powerful and affordable next-generation 1.5T MRI system featuring Synergy DLR deep-learning reconstruction, fast exam times, and patient-friendly design. Discover how it can help you achieve faster workflow and improved image quality.
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Who Writes the Best AI Impressions?
New research shows radiologists prefer custom AI and human-authored impressions over generic AI, highlighting the importance of clinical alignment and customization. See what this means for reporting workflows on this blog from Rad AI.
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- Radiology Case Report: A man in his 40s presented with a known metastasis within his abdomen. Learn how contrast-enhanced MRI helped to diagnose the extent of his disease.
- Uncovering Hidden Cardiac Amyloidosis with AI Echo: The AI-SCREEN-CA study evaluated the real-world performance of AI echo with Us2.ai for detecting hidden cases of cardiac amyloidosis from routine echocardiograms. Discover how well it worked on this page.
- Unlock Next-Level Diagnostic Possibilities: Photonova Spectra from GE HealthCare is designed to realize the full potential of photon-counting CT in oncology, cardiology, neurology, and more. Learn more about the difference its Deep Silicon technology makes on this page.
- Visit Quibim at ASCO 2026: Stop by Quibim’s booth at ASCO 2026 to learn how they are redefining the future of oncology through their innovative AI-based diagnostic and predictive imaging biomarkers. Book a meeting today or drop by at booth #27149.
- Driving Advances in Lung Health Through Early Detection: Earlier detection of chest conditions leads to more effective treatments and patient outcomes. Learn more about lung diseases, the impact of early detection, and tools from Riverain Technologies to improve detection accuracy and efficiency.
- The World’s Happiest Customers – 13 Straight Years: Sectra continues to top the charts when it comes to customer satisfaction. The company recently won seven Best in KLAS awards, including the 13th straight for its Sectra PACS enterprise imaging solution. Find out why on this page.
- Advanced Medical Imaging in Small-Town Iowa: Clarinda Regional Health Center has been a cornerstone of care in Clarinda, Iowa, since opening its doors in 1939. Learn how CRHC partnered with United Imaging to bring advanced imaging capabilities directly to its patients.
- Radiology Automation Simplified: CARPL is an enterprise-grade radiology AI validation and deployment platform with 250+ AI applications across 85+ AI vendors that empowers healthcare providers to access, assess, and securely integrate imaging AI in their practice. Book a demo today.
- Experience Dynamic Simplicity in Fluoroscopy: Introducing LUMINOS Q.namix R and LUMINOS Q.namix T from Siemens Healthineers – truly multifunctional imaging systems designed to simplify your daily work routines and amplify your capabilities. Learn from your peers what makes LUMINOS Q.namix systems so special.
- Building Bridges Across Imaging Informatics: Visit Medicom at booth #615 at SIIM 2026 to see how their automated workflows move every image to where it needs to go, connecting patients, providers, EHRs, and research teams without manual workarounds. Book your demo today.
- A Best in KLAS Hat Trick: AGFA HealthCare was named Best in KLAS in three enterprise imaging segments this year: PACS under 300k studies, universal viewer, and vendor-neutral archive. Find out what makes customers keep coming back on this page.
- Can You Meet Conditional MRI Requirements? How confident are you that your MR practice can meet the MR Conditional requirements? Philips has developed ScanWise Implant to simplify scanning patients with MR Conditional implants. Learn more on this page.
- AI-Powered Population Health: DeepHealth is assembling radiology’s largest portfolio of AI-enabled radiology solutions for population health. Learn more about their focus and their recent acquisition of Gleamer in this video interview.
- Curiosity, Growth, and the Joys of Radiology: What makes a great radiologist? The residency program? The fellowship pedigree? The hospital name on the badge? Check out the inaugural episode of Medality’s The Joys of Radiology podcast, featuring a conversation between Marc Gosselin, MD, and Gautam Agarwal, MD.
- Remote Reading Is Essential for Enterprise Imaging: Remote reading has become essential to enterprise imaging operations because healthcare organizations need scalable, flexible solutions. Discover how cloud-based solutions from Intelerad can help solve remote reading challenges.
- Pioneering AI for Medical Imaging: With more than 40 clinical publications and real-world deployments, Gleamer combines scientific rigor and medical expertise to redefine AI for radiology. Learn more about the company’s pioneering suite of AI solutions on this page.
- 8 Ways Merge Supports Enterprise Imaging Providers: Merge enterprise imaging solutions deliver measurable value to imaging providers through continued innovation, thoughtful design, and flexible deployment. Request a demo today to see them in action.
- Why Radiology Reporting Needs a Reset: Radiologists are under growing pressure, yet many reporting tools still slow them down. Kailo Medical believes reporting should support clinical thinking, not add to the workload. Discover how their KailoAir solution can help you reset your reporting.
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