Low-field MRI systems improve accessibility, but what kind of diagnostic quality do they offer?

0.55T MRI lumbar compared to 1.5T sequence #lumbarMRI #1.5T

Coronal fluid-sensitive T2 DIXON (water-only) sequence of the lumbar spine at 1.5T (a) and STIR sequence at 0.55T. Modic type 1 changes at the L4, L5 and S1 endplates are clearly visible at both field strengths. Image and caption courtesy of Academic Radiology.

Experts recently compared the use of a 0.55T low-field MRI system to a 1.5T system to determine whether the results rendered were within an acceptable diagnostic range.

Why the way microcalcifications on mammograms are regarded could change

Mediolateral oblique view from a screening mammogram in a 54-year-old woman shows a small cluster of microcalcifications in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. The right image shows a detailed spot magnification view of the calcifications. Stereotactic biopsy revealed grade 2 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). RSNA image. Image of breast micro calcifications associated with breast cancer.

Mediolateral oblique view from a screening mammogram in a 54-year-old woman shows a small cluster of microcalcifications in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. The right image shows a detailed spot magnification view of the calcifications. Stereotactic biopsy revealed grade 2 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). See the next image for an MRI view. Read more. RSNA image.

New research suggests that the tissue environment where microcalcifications of the breast are formed could hold clues into how breast cancer progresses.

New practice guidelines for PET imaging of neuroendocrine tumors

Normal biodistribution of 68Ga-DOTATOC, 68Ga-DOTATATE, and 64Cu-DOTATATE. Image courtesy of SNMMI.

Issued by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the new guidelines are intended to inform any practitioners involved in ordering, performing, reading and reporting SSTR PET imaging.