Since my first RSNA meeting in 1984, I had been told the only radiologists who had patients were those who did interventions. The mainstream radiologist was a physicians’ physician, providing expert interpretation of medical images, identifying the subtle visual indicators of disease and ruling out diagnoses when signs of pathology were absent. This year was different.

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting has transitioned in recent years from an imaging device focus to an imaging information technology focus. The interest in software continued at this year’s meeting, partly fueled by the need for healthcare organizations to meet Stage 1 and 2 meaningful use requirements. Two key trends seen throughout the show floor included remote viewing systems for radiology images and technology streamlined to aid workflow efficiency.

If you would have asked radiologists about the future of radiology information systems (RIS) five to 10 years ago, there is a good chance that they would have told you that RIS was a dying technology. Because RIS systems were merging with other technological platforms, many radiologists did not expect the systems to be around. But now many physicians are trying to meet the Stage 2 meaningful use (MU) criteria to take advantage of Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments and prepare themselves to be in compliance when the criteria become requirements. RIS and picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) are experiencing a technological rebirth that will usher the next generation of these products smoothly into 2013.

With ever-increasing concerns about radiation dose and the appropriate use of diagnostic imaging tests, doctors are continuously looking for ways to better image their patients. Advances in ultrasound are making the technology appear more attractive for certain clinical applications, from breast health to cardiology, thanks to their noninvasiveness, cost-effectiveness and lack of radiation. Some of the emerging innovations in ultrasound, such as real-time 3-D imaging and the development of wireless transducers, are set to keep the market going throughout 2013 and beyond.

A new computed tomography (CT) scanner substantially reduces potentially harmful radiation while still improving overall image quality. National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers, along with engineers at Toshiba Medical Systems, worked on the scanner. An analysis of data on 107 patients undergoing heart scans found that radiation exposure was reduced by as much as 95 percent compared to the range of current machines, while the resulting images showed less blurriness, reduced graininess and greater visibility of fine details.