Safety of MR contrast; how acupuncture works; costs of PET/CT

Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,

If you thought you'd heard the last of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, then you need to think again because lingering doubts persist over the safety of contrast agents used in MRI. The European Medicines Agency addressed the concerns last year, when it conducted an independent assessment of the risks associated with gadolinium-based agents, but judging by last week's heated discussion at the French national radiology congress, the JFR, the regulators have not achieved their goal. To read more, visit our MRI Digital Community or click here.

JFR attendees were also treated to a master class on acupuncture. The pioneering Chinese radiologist Dr. Li Guozhen of Beijing Hospital began using functional MRI to investigate the effects of acupuncture in the 1990s. She established important links with physicists at the Academy of Sciences, and their work is now bearing fruit. Click here for John Brosky's report from Paris.

Arguably the Dutch rule supreme in Europe when it comes to healthcare cost-effectiveness studies, and researchers from Nijmegen have scrutinized the added value of performing PET/CT in patients with bacteremia. To find out more, click here.

In neighboring Germany, researchers are making steady progress with functional MRI in the head and neck region, and are finding the technique can be beneficial in many clinical scenarios. A new study from radiologists in Aachen has shown that the eustachian tube opening during a Valsalva maneuver can now be visualized with MRI. Get the story here.

A multinational group has discovered that radiotherapy performed after breast-conserving surgery can lead to substantial cuts in the breast cancer recurrence and mortality rates. The team's work was published this month in the Lancet. Go to our Women's Imaging Digital Community or click here.

If you'd prefer to read in French, Italian, or Spanish, our collection of articles in these three languages is continuing to expand. Click on the relevant flag on our home page or click here.