On the occasion of this year's 25th Euroson congress of the EFSUMB and the 37th DEGUM Dreiländertreffen (9 - 12 October, Stuttgart), Hitachi Medical Systems Europe for the first time presents the fully-featured F31. It is a compact entry level colour ultrasound system with outstanding performance suitable for a wide range of clinical applications. The F31 offers extraordinary image quality and efficient application as well as ergonomic and intuitive handling at an affordable price to resident doctors, clinical surgeons, and at the point of care.

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems improved inexperienced readers’ analyses of breast lesions in automated 3D breast ultrasounds but did little to better the interpretation of experienced readers, according to a study published in the November issue of Academic Radiology.

An optical imaging technique that measures metabolic activity in cancer cells can identify breast cancer subtypes and reveal treatment response as soon as two days post-therapy administration, according to a study published Oct. 15 in the American Association for Cancer Research’s journal, Cancer Research.

Radiologists underwent a steady increase in market share of thoracic biopsies from 1998 to 2010, performing almost all of the percutaneous biopsies within the Medicare population, and consequently playing an important role in the diagnosis of thoracic disease, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. 

Although the Choosing Wisely campaign argues only one radiation treatment, or fraction, is needed to control bone pain in the palliative treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, half of patients received more than 10 fractions, according to a research letter published Oct. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There is growing interest in applying molecular imaging techniques for the detection of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). A range of scanner-tracer combinations can be used for perfusion, angiogenesis and atherosclerotic imaging, according to a review published online Oct. 7 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

An estimated 30 percent of epileptics experience drug resistance. A PET agent may one day be used to track physiological mechanisms of resistance, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

An expert panel convened by the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound has issued recommendations for the use of ultrasonography in determining when a first trimester pregnancy is nonviable.