International Medical Solutions (IMS) and the University of Toronto Department of Medical Imaging have signed a partnership agreement to assess the performance of diagnostic radiology residents using IMS Web Viewer within a simulated Emergency Radiology environment. The program is part of a larger study being funded by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to determine the effectiveness of the ER Simulation testing program.

International medical imaging information technology (IT) and cybersecurity company Sectra has signed a ten-year contract to install its solution for handling radiology images, Sectra PACS, across the radiology and nuclear medicine departments at Deventer Hospital in the Netherlands. The solution will support increased reading efficiency through its performance and comprehensive tool set, thereby improving patient outcomes.

A new document compiled by four cardiac imaging professional societies provides a resource to guide clinicians in best practices for assessing valvular regurgitation following catheter-based repair or replacement of a valve. The document, available in full here, supplements the previously published guideline Recommendations for Evaluation of Prosthetic Valves with Echocardiography and Doppler Ultrasound.

A new report by Arthur Olch, Ph.D., highlights use of specialized software at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) that could advance treatment accuracy of radiation oncology for pediatric cancer patients.

Smoking rates are down nationally, but so are discussions among physicians and smokers about lung cancer screening, University of Florida researchers have found. However, the study also found these patient-physician conversations did not affect current smokers’ intent or attempts to quit.

With healthcare costs continuing to rise, affordable and accurate imaging and diagnosis achieved through ultrasound will continue to attract patients, according to a new market report from Fact.MR. The report on the global market for ultrasound systems projects steady growth for the market from 2017 to 2022, from a value of $6 billion in 2017 to $7.8 billion toward the end of 2022 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5 percent.

Restrictive prior authorization practices cause unnecessary delays and interference in care decisions for cancer patients, according to a new survey of nearly 700 radiation oncologists — released by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

California Protons Cancer Therapy Center announced two major efforts representing significant steps forward in breast cancer treatment research involving its noninvasive, targeted proton therapy. Current California Protons patients as of Feb. 4, 2019, are invited to enroll in the Proton Collaborative Group (PCG) Registry of more than 13,000 patients. Separately, the PCG BRE007-12 Partial Breast Irradiation in early-stage breast cancer clinical trial will enroll around five to eight females per year.

Philips announced IntelliSpace Radiation Oncology, an intelligent patient management solution to manage complexity, improve efficiency and enable operational excellence in radiotherapy departments. IntelliSpace Radiation Oncology, which is considered a work in progress and not available for sale, provides a harmonized way of working, integrating applications and automating workflow to help reduce the amount of time it takes from receiving a patient referral to the start of their treatment. The solution is being unveiled at the European Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ESTRO) 38th Annual Meeting, April 26-30 in Milan, Italy.