Volume 12 - Issue 4, 2012

Dear readers, Our cover story this issue is on building the imaging service. Prof. Alan Dilani sets the scene by looking at the influence of design and architecture on health. He sheds light on research into the factors in the physical environment that can promote health, well-being and increase productivity and profitability. Anil Shastri then considers the factors involved in designing an imaging de...

The first International Day of Radiology (IDOR) on 8 November 2012 included events and publicity around the world to highlight awareness of medical imaging and the role of radiologists. The International Day of Radiology initiative was established to highlight the contribution of radiology to safe patient care as well as improving understanding of the vital par t which radiologists play in hea...

Seefeid in Austria is the venue for the MIR Winter Course, 10-12 January 2013. The course is an interactive and informative programme which aims to build a practical skill set. The course will be led by professional healthcare trainers from "Inspire Change". Each delegate will leave with new insights and practical solutions they can implement immediately. Course programme Advanced Influencing...

Lisbon, Portugal played host in September to the world’s largest and most comprehensive congress on interventional radiology (IR). The CIRSE Annual Congress and Postgraduate Course (CIRSE 2012) was attended by over 6,000 delegates from more than 80 countries – and its innovative and inspirational atmosphere made it a truly unmissable event. CIRSE 2012 provided over 250 hours worth of state-...

The fourth European Conference on Interventional Oncology takes place in Budapest, Hungary, 19-22 June 2013. CIRSE is supporting attendance with the ECIO Incentive Programme. This allows radiologists with a full registration for ECIO 2013 in Budapest to invite their referring physician to the conference for free. The first 100 referring physicians signed up will receive free registration and up...

Turkey hosts the European 2013 Connectathon, 15 – 19 April 2013. It is appropriate that the connectivity marathon is to be held in the city of Istanbul which connects Europe and Asia. The IHE Connectathon is a five day event whose main purpose is testing the interoperability and connectivity of healthcare IT systems. This traditional event draws participation from across Europe, with more than 90 com...

The Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS) congress is the yearly event for scientists, engineers and physicians to present and discuss the key innovations that shape modern medicine on a worldwide basis. The CARS Congress Organizing Committee invites you to come to Heidelberg from 26 - 29 June 2013, for an extraordinary event in which scientific/medical presentations as well as sti...

COCIR has recently released three documents: A position paper articulating COCIR views on the General Data Protection Regulation; A detailed contribution providing more insight and concrete examples on healthcare; Suggestions for amendments to the draft Regulation being currently discussed at European Parliament and European Council levels In addition, COCIR joined the Industry Coalition...

Adapting the Environment to Meet Patient and Healthcare Staff Needs Architecture and design have been influenced by industrial societies for decades. As a result, public buildings such as hospitals have often been designed to function and look like factories. Clinical practice in hospitals focuses mainly on treating illness while often neglecting a patient’s psychological, social and spiritual needs. Env...

Safety may be defined as the condition of being safe from injury or loss. Safety in any field is a dynamic and continuous course of action involving hazard detection and correction. Healthcare professionals need to keep abreast of technological advances, their limitations and risks by carefully examining the risks finding the most effective workable solutions to manage them. In order to achieve this goa...

The state of imaging in Moldova in the early 2000s can be illustrated by a personal anecdote. In summer 2003 a 55 year old woman was in a critical condition and needed urgent surgery. Before the operation she needed an MR investigation. Her son tried to book an appointment at the only magnetic resonance scanner in the country at this time, located in the state owned Republican Hospital. He was advised to wa...

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a revolutionary technique that greatly improves the diagnostic capabilities of conventional ultrasound. Due to its wide availability in Europe and its relatively low cost there has been exponentially increasing interest in the clinical applications of CEUS. The first studies on the clinical use were published at the beginning of this century using Levovist® as co...

PET/CT scanning is a diagnostic method that enjoys increasing acceptance both in the scientific world and among practitioners. Its value derives from the increased quality of examinations compared to classical imaging methods. PET/CT scanning is, however, rather cost-intensive, which has curbed adoption of the method. Cost efficiency is one of the main criteria for public healthcare systems when adopti...

The enormous cost pressures in the healthcare sector and the introduction of diagnosis related groups for the reimbursement of medical services has forced many radiological departments and practices to become more efficient by optimising their workflow in providing diagnostic and therapeutic services. As a central provider of services, a radiological department has to cater to the needs of different groups,...

Risk is inherent in all aspects of life, and healthcare is no exception to this. Healthcare provision is a complex business, with numerous interactions with outside agencies and, of course, ill patients, many of which are unplanned and involve several healthcare professionals. Whilst risk cannot be excluded, it is crucial to the success of any healthcare provider that they have a systematic process wh...

The Future of Prognosis The Computed Tomography (CT) equipment industry the second largest of the diagnostic medical imaging market. CT equipment stationed at hospitals and imaging centres caters to numerous clinical applications such as cardiology, oncology, neurology and musculoskeletal applications. It detects infarctions, tumours, trauma and calcifications. The CT market is a diverse one with vario...

Milan in Italy was the venue for the 15th Management in Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting. 134 delegates came from more than 15 different countries across the globe, welcomed by Prof. Peter Mildenberger, Chairman of the MIR Subcommittee of the European Society of Radiology and Prof. Lorenzo Derchi, Chairman of the MIR Meeting 2012. Radiology’s future was a continuing theme. Prof. Stephen Baker (USA...

In Japan, as in other countries, radiologists play a crucial role in high quality medical care in daily practice. This article summarises the current state of radiology in Japan, and describes the Japan Radiological Society (JRS), which is a leading society in the Japanese radiological field. Under the leadership of JRS, the radiology field in Japan focuses on globalisation. The last section introduces the...