ECR TODAY 2007 Daily News from Europe’S Leading Imaging Congress
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ECR TODAY 2007 Daily news from Europe’s leading imaging congress MONDAY/TUESDAY, MARCH 12/13, 2007 Published by the European Society of Radiology Breast screening PET-CT aids Get your progresses in lung cancer tickets for the Czech Republic diagnosis ECR 2007 Party on Monday See page 2 See page 3 See page 7 Systems-based healthcare hinges on imaging research Inside Today By Paula Gould One of the greatest weaknesses in rally resolved relevant biological “Science advances so fast that any medical research is the inability to information. Th at’s what we do.” barriers between scientists wher- Imaging is poised to play a key role study complexity, Zerhouni said. ever they are – within an institution in the advancement of 21st century Th is looks set to change as science Imaging will be relevant to every or between institutions in diff erent science and healthcare, but this will moves towards systems biology. measurement length-scale – ang- countries – are an impediment to • Training only happen if the radiology com- Investigators in the future will look stroms, microns, and metres. Exist- progress,” he said. “In the future, harmonisation munity changes its view of imag- at disease pathways, not single dis- ing imaging technologies currently imaging sciences will have to have p. 3 ing sciences, according to Prof. eases, and multiple drug targets. struggle to resolve structures in an international collaborative Elias Zerhouni, director of the US Th ey will study fundamental disease the 100 to 500 nm range, such as framework that is easy to travel.” • Technical exhibition National Institutes of Health. If that mechanisms, such as infl ammation complex macromolecular systems. p. 5 means researchers adopting uncon- or apoptosis, rather than specifi c Researchers are working to plug this Dr. Liselotte Højgaard, chair of the ventional or innovative approaches, conditions, like arthritis or cancer. gap through the development of European Medical Research Councils • EPOS prize winners so be it. innovative imaging technologies. (EMRC), reiterated the importance of p. 7 Th is change in approach will mean international collaboration in imag- “Th e greatest risk in science is to a move away from qualitative, uni- Zerhouni predicts that over the next ing research. Th e EMRC is looking • Radiographers’ stop taking risks. Let radiologists dimensional, non-specifi c informa- 20 years, imaging researchers will at ways to reciprocate the generos- sessions become what they were before tion. “We are talking about quan- continue in their eff orts to detect ity that the NIH shows to European p. 7 – great risk-takers,” he said, dur- titative, non-destructive, spatially subclinical disease. He would also researchers. At the moment, however, ing Sunday’s plenary session on the resolved, temporally resolved data, like radiologists to develop imaging- Europe lags behind the US in terms future of biomedical imaging and all of these words say ‘imaging’ to based in vivo biomarkers that could of R&D investment. In the US, 2.6% medical Imaging Research. She imaging research. me,” he said. “Imaging is the science assist in the study of treatments for of GDP is channelled towards R&D, advised radiologists not to become of extracting spatially and tempo- long-term chronic diseases. Image- compared with 1.9% in the European ‘method racists’, but to consider all guided interventions and micro- Union. Sources for funding are also available tools and techniques that sampling for disease characterisa- fragmented, and just 7% to 8% of could assist in answering their clini- tion is another large area ripe for EU R&D investment comes from the cal questions. radiology research. centralised framework funding pro- gramme. Th e remainder is provided “Some radiologists are very much He envisages this research endeav- by national agencies, industry, and in love with their own methodology our as being truly global and is charities. and don’t look at the methodology keen to foster international col- next door. Th ey are either a CT per- laboration. Th e NIH will this year Højgaard encouraged ECR delegates son, a PET person, or an MRI per- invest approximately $1 billion in to take advantage of funding oppor- son,” she said. “Perhaps we should scientifi c research outside the US, tunities for research. She also wel- instead be organ experts, so we and collaborative projects involv- comed initiatives designed to unite know, for example, about all the dif- ing non-US partners. Over 50% of imaging researchers from diff erent ferent modalities that could be used NIH’s partnership projects involve backgrounds, such as the newly for brain imaging.” Prof. Elias Zerhouni Dr. Liselotte Højgaard European countries. formed European Institute for Bio- would like to ensure it is the best action. But dermatologists and plastic ECR 2008 ever radiological meeting in Europe, Intervention moves into surgeons might choke over their por- in terms of the quality of the science ridge when they hear the terms inter- ECR 2007 has not yet closed, but one presented, in terms of attendance ventional radiology and cosmetic person who is already turning his – I would like to see even more Ger- cosmetic medicine medicine being linked,” he said. thoughts fi rmly towards next year’s man radiologists attend the meeting congress is Prof. Maximilian Reiser, – and in terms of its character as a By Paula Gould “Of course we are used to interacting Prof. Ziv J. Haskal, director of vas- President of ECR 2008. multidisciplinary meeting.” with vascular surgeons, so our inter- cular and interventional radiology Interventional radiologists are well est in treating varicose veins will only “My ambitions for the next ECR ECR 2008 will take place from 7 to known for carving their own niche in further stimulate that pleasant inter- continued on page 2 meeting are very high,” he said. “I 11 March, and will put a particular uncharted territory. Plans to conquer focus on women’s imaging, including the beauty business, however, may be breast imaging and uterine fi broid their biggest challenge to date. embolisation. Women in the radio- logical profession will be another Th e fi eld of interventional radiol- key topic. Th ere will be a new foun- ogy is continually evolving, oft en Costs down – quality up. dation course on interventional in unpredictable directions, ECR Proven Excellence. radiology, and the traditional ‘ECR 2006 President Prof. Andy Adam Leading edge refurbished systems. meets’ concept will continue, with told attendees at Sunday’s hot topics India, Israel, and Germany being the in interventional radiology session. Proven Outcomes in Refurbished Systems. guest countries. Also, industry will New ventures require practition- Healthcare budgets are tight, but the demand for latest be off ered a new platform within the ers to master additional techniques, technology equipment is growing. We offer tailor-made so-called face-off sessions. and also to interact with diff erent, solutions world wide, with outstanding price/performance ratios and new equipment warranties. perhaps unfamiliar, disciplines. Th e We are there for you at ECR, EXPO D. Turn to page 19 of this issue of ECR emergence of cosmetic interven- Today for an extended interview tional radiology will certainly be no www.siemens.com/proven-excellence Prof. Maximilian Reiser from Munich with Prof. Reiser. diff erent. myESR.org Siemens_ECR_Ad_2_FINAL.indd 1 08.02.2007 17:36:37 Uhr ECR TODAY 2 MONDAY/TUESDAY, MARCH 12/13, 2007 HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 1 at Columbia University, New York, is confi dent that interventional Breast cancer screening gathers radiologists could put their existing skills to good use in the cosmetic medicine marketplace. He foresees momentum in Czech Republic a time when practitioners trained in minimally invasive image-guided By Philip Ward and is covered every two years by the All units are obliged to provide the procedures may be rectifying wrin- Kateřina Tomková health insurance scheme. central board reviewers with their kles, spider veins, and sun-spots in annual data using the appropriate outpatient clinics. Czech radiology continues to make “Th ere is one breast-screening cen- soft ware. Radiologists performing rapid progress, as shown by the tre per 200,000 inhabitants,” she screening have to be fully qualifi ed “Ten years ago I never would have varied selection of presentations said. “Centres archive mammo- in mammography, breast ultra- imagined that I would be doing at Sunday’s ECR meets the Czech grams for at least fi ve years, and sound, and core biopsy. Double pro- fi broid embolisation,” he said. “In the Dr. Sanjoy Kundu from Toronto Republic session. must take part in an annual data jection and double reading are used. same way that we perhaps wouldn’t collection seminar and perform For more details on the project, she have imagined doing endovenous tices set up to perform these proce- Introducing the session, ECR 2007 at least 5,000 screening mammo- urged ECR attendees to visit the web ablation and sclerotherapy, we need dures should not look like regular President Prof. Christian J. Herold grams.” site: www.mamo.cz to keep looking towards the next diagnostic imaging centres. “You revealed his strong personal links things that we may go on to.” have to have an attractive, welcom- with the Czech Republic. He grew Th ere are 59 certifi ed screening General radiological training is also ing situation, and what we describe up only 30 km from the border town units in the country. Th ese units are moving ahead. Th e Czech Radio- Th e market for cosmetic interven- as a ‘bright, brass and glass’ setting,” of Mikulov, and his grandmother accredited for two years only, and logical Society (CRS) is organis- tion is undoubtedly buoyant, at least he said. “You have to have furniture was Czech.