More cloud and mobile ‘buzz’ at this year’s IT-heavy RSNA

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If you thought “cloud computing” and “mobility” were just a couple of buzz words in medical imaging, well you can expect to hear them buzzing in your ear at this year’s RSNA 2011 annual meeting.

Cristen Bolan, Executive Editor, Applied Radiology

While RSNA mainly covers imaging hardware –- “Hot Topic” sessions will feature nine presentations on emerging techniques in CT, MR, PET, x-ray and interventional radiology — the show is definitely IT-heavier this year. That is why you will hear more about the magic of cloud computing and how radiologists are doing reads on iPhones — hopefully more will use an iPad or even a Kindle.

The fact is, there are a slew of new product introductions and sessions highlighting software that, in some cases, will have an even greater impact on imaging than the latest iteration in a CT system. Just look at where some of the biggest inroads in radiation dose reduction are happening  — in iterative reconstruction (IR). That’s so 2009, you say, but now it goes by just two letters. It’s confirmed, IR has spread beyond pediatrics or cardiac imaging. “There was increased interest in low radiation dose techniques and noise reduction software applications for CT in trauma and nontrauma applications,” reports the RSNA show program. Any way you say it, expect to hear more IR buzz this year.

What also might not come as a surprise is that the session “Image Sharing: From Digital Media to Cloud Solutions Employing IHE Profiles” will be packed. So get there early. Also, be sure to grab a seat at “Radiology Informatics Series: Mobile Computing Devices” because mobility is on the verge of being mainstream in radiology. Don’t just take my word for it, find out what Dr. Rasu Shrestha, VP of Medical IT and Medical Director of Interoperability & Imaging Informatics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has picked as the Must-See Information Technology Sessions at RSNA 2011 available on Applied Radiology’s digital listing.

Another key trend in IT to look for is, you guessed it, Meaningful Use. Add to that: appropriate imaging, personalized imaging, EMR and the RSNA’s PHR pilot project. Dr. David Mendelson of The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, provides a preview of the RSNA/NIBIB pilot project in “Image sharing: Where we’ve been, where we’re going by” available in print and online in the November issue of Applied Radiology. Radiologists are actually handing over the keys to the patient records to the patients? Well, not exactly. But listen for a lot of buzz about it.