Virtual RSNA 2008 Available at RSNA.org
The virtual annual meeting at RSNA.org/virtual2008.cfm allows visitors to experience portions of RSNA 2008:
• More than 1,400 education exhibits and scientific posters in numerous subspecialties (access limited to RSNA 2008 attendees and RSNA members)
• Handouts for select RSNA 2008 refresher courses on such topics as MR and CT arthography, pulmonary infections and using Adobe FLASH software.
• Award-winning education exhibits
A searchable meeting program is also available through the virtual meeting site, which will periodically be updated with new content.
New Web Site Kicks Off ABR 75th Anniversary
The American Board of Radiology (ABR) has launched its 75th anniversary celebration with an updated Web site at www.theabr.org. ABR unveiled the new site on Jan. 31, 75 years to the day after ABR was incorporated in Washington, D.C. ABR is now located in Tucson, Ariz.
ABR was the fifth national board to be formed as part of a movement to promote specialty standards in medicine. As the field of radiology has developed, various certificates have been added and deleted to accommodate new technologies and other developments. A member of the American Board of Medical Specialties, the ABR has issued more than 62,000 certificates since its inception in 1934.
ABR is also marking its 75th anniversary with the establishment of the ABR Foundation and the publication of a book on ABR history. The book, authored by Otha W. Linton, M.S.J., will be available starting in October.
Ultrasound-guided Prostate Brachytherapy is Subject of AAPM Report
A new report issued by a special American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) task force addresses quality assurance requirements specific to transrectal ultrasound used for guidance of prostate brachytherapy.
Accurate imaging guidance and dosimetry calculation depend upon the quality and accuracy of the ultrasound image, necessitating a robust quality assurance program for the ultrasound system, according to the report. A brief review of prostate brachytherapy and ultrasound physics is provided along with recommendations for elements to be included in a comprehensive test phantom. The report is available online at www.aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_128.pdf.
Image Gently Campaign Offers Free Parent Education Materials
The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, founder of the Image Gently campaign to lower pediatric radiation dose, has developed new materials to educate parents about medical imaging and to help them track their child's past imaging exams:
• "My Child's Medical Imaging Record" allows parents to record where and when a study was performed, as well as the type of radiologic exam. Parents are encouraged to use this record as they do the widely utilized vaccination record and to encourage medical providers to make decisions regarding optimal timing of additional radiologic examinations with a better understanding of their child's imaging history.
• "What Parents Should Know About CT Scans for Children: Medical Radiation Safety" and "What Parents Should Know About Medical Radiation Safety" are downloadable patient education brochures that provide lay definitions for various imaging exams utilizing radiation and discuss the benefits and potential risks associated with these studies.
The imaging record card and patient brochures are available at www.imagegently.org. Physicians are encouraged to download the materials and make them available in their waiting rooms and offices.
NAS Report on Medical Isotopes Questioned
Nuclear medicine society SNM has raised concerns about a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report that calls the elimination of the highly enriched uranium (HEU) process—the primary source of medical isotopes in the U.S.—technically and economically feasible.
While SNM agrees with the long-term objective of eliminating HEU, it notes that the conversion to an alternative source will be years away, more costly than the report estimates and will not alleviate the current ongoing shortages of medically necessary isotopes.
The majority of the U.S. supply of medical radioisotopes is produced using HEU targets at reactors in Canada and Europe. SNM notes that these foreign facilities have become increasingly unreliable due to unscheduled outages for age-related safety and maintenance issues.
While the NAS report focuses on potential security concerns related to isotope production using HEU, there are significant regulatory, financial, environmental and patient issues linked with a conversion to low enriched uranium that must be taken into consideration before making any large-scale changes, according to SNM.
More information on the SNM position is available at interactive.snm.org. The NAS report, "Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium," can be purchased at www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12569.
