New technology developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may extend the benefits of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to many patients whose access to MRI is currently limited. A redesign of the wire at the core of the leads carrying signals between implanted medical devices and their target structures significantly reduces the generation of heat that occurs when standard wires are exposed to the radiofrequency (RF) energy used in MRI. The novel system is described in a paper published in the online Nature journal Scientific Reports.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is issuing a new guideline, “Definitive and adjuvant radiotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: An American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) evidence-based clinical practice guideline.” The guideline’s executive summary is published in the May-June issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), ASTRO’s clinical practice journal. The complete guideline, which cites 35 years of data to help guide current treatment and future research, is available online as an open-access article in PRO. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) issued an endorsement of ASTRO’s guideline.

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes LLC has completed its first production-scale test run of the molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) aliquoting system installed at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) in Columbia, Missouri. The test and subsequent shipment of the resulting Mo-99 to NorthStar’s Madison facility is another milestone in the establishment of domestic production of the vital medical radioisotope.

The Organization for Occupational Safety in Interventional Fluoroscopy (ORSIF) announced the release of a new documentary film on the impact of chronic, low-level exposure to ionizing radiation on physicians that practice interventional medicine in fluoroscopy labs. The documentary features noted heart surgeon Edward Diethrich, M.D., founder of the Arizona Heart Foundation.

Soft tissue disorders like tumors are very difficult to recognize using normal X-ray machines. There is hardly any distinction between healthy tissue and tumors. Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have now developed a technology using a compact synchrotron source that measures not only X-ray absorption, but also phase shifts and scattering. Tissue that is hardly recognizable using traditional X-ray machines is now visible.

In response to the proposed mammography guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Strategic Radiology (SR) recommends regular screening mammography for women beginning at age 40 in order to reduce breast cancer mortality. SR joins other organizations — including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American College Of Surgeons, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, American Cancer Society (ACS), American College of Radiology (ACR) and Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) — in speaking out against the USPSTF guidelines.

vRad (Virtual Radiologic) announced that it ranked No. 49 on 2015’s InformationWeek Elite 100, a list of top business-technology innovators in the United States. The company was ranked No. 9 amongst those winners in the Healthcare industry.

Research firm KLAS released a new report on electronic medical record (EMR) usability and product performance over the past two years, revealing how physicians and other users rate various vendors and solutions. The report, entitled “Physician Leadership Weighs In on Acute Care EMR Usability” compares usability performance in the acute care EMR market segment.