One of the fascinating aspects of medical imaging is the pace at which innovative technologies are developed and spread. Whether it’s an improvement with informatics or a novel addition to imaging hardware, it seems like an intriguing new project is unveiled every week.

There’s not a lot of crossover between car parts and medical imaging components, but a pair of engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, has discovered that molybdenum disulfide, commonly used as an engine lubricant, could help speed the photodetectors in large-area imaging devices.

High-resolution MR enterography has significantly higher diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of bowel ulceration, fistulae and abscesses in Crohn’s disease compared to standard MRI, according to a study published in the September issue of Clinical Radiology.

CT and MRI scans of the spine for back pain are the poster children for overused and likely inappropriate imaging. Throughout the 2000s the use of advanced imaging in this area increased significantly and presumably drove up downstream costs for back pain management, according to a study published online July 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Emergency department (ED) use of chest x-rays for children presenting with moderate to severe asthma increased significantly from 1995 to 2009. Pediatric EDs bucked the trend, indicating a need to transfer best practices to standard EDs, which could improve efficiency, cut costs and decrease radiation exposure, according to a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics.

In the largest, multicenter study of incidental findings on CT in pediatric blunt head trauma, about 4 percent of children had nontraumatic incidental findings, according to a study published July 22 in Pediatrics.

Not at all, according to a commentary published in the August issue of Radiology. The overdiagnosis myth overshadows the real problems—suboptimal patient management and overtreatment. The authors urged imagers to remain vigilant in detection and suggested they play an active role in management decisions.

Installation of a CARESTREAM DRX-Revolution Mobile X-ray System has led to a 50% reduction in X-ray dosage at the 564-bed University Hospital Tenon, Paris, which is part of the public health system APHP. Figures have been validated by a member of the Personnes Compétentes en Radioprotection (PCR), a nationwide network of Radiation Protection Officers.