To know where you are going generally requires knowing where you’ve been, and this is as true for medical technology as for most anything else. Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are now ubiquitous, found in just about every radiology department in the United States. Those of you who read my blog (www.DoctorDalai.com) probably see me as “an average radiologist in an average practice in an average town in the South.” But there is one thing that sets our group apart from many others around the nation — the fact that we were early adopters of PACS.

Few imaging market segments have seen as much activity in the past six to nine months as digital radiography (DR) has. Comprising everything from retrofit kits to full suites — with a score of wireless options — the marketplace is filled with vendors improving old systems, introducing new ones and getting their products into more healthcare providers’ hands.

With the advent of handheld ultrasound systems, the idea of a doctor in the emergency department (ED) with an ultrasound clipped to his keyboard is not too far-fetched. We are not there yet, but competition is growing in the market. While there are signs the market has begun to mature, there also are signs it could expand into new territory.

It seems a picture is worth more than a thousand words for people who see evidence of coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease in men and women. Simply seeing a build-up of calcium in the walls of arteries appears to prompt patients to better adhere to both statin therapy and recommendations for weight loss, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 61st Annual Scientific Session in Chicago.

Two large clinical trials were presented in the late-breaking clinical trials session at the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 61st Annual Scientific Session this week that indicate coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) used as a tool to evaluate patients with chest pain in the emergency department is safe, time-efficient and cost-effective, compared to the current standard approach.