Spent much of my day in Lakeside Center aka East Building also referred to as Hall D. Call it what you will (and let me know when they settle on a single name for the venue!), several vendors were not so sure they wanted to be placed in this “new” exhibit area. The trepidation: Is it too off the beaten path to pull in the booth traffic? (Kind of like those friends of mine who want to live in Manhattan but wind up in Brooklyn – they’re afraid no one will ever visit. Typically, they’re right.) But, East-Hall D folks got nothing to worry about based on what I saw – and it’s only Sunday. …So what did I discover in the East today? Siemens booth (3x bigger than my NYC-studio apartment) had plenty of traffic. In fact, it was packed. I found something of excellent value to those involved with Pediatric imaging. Siemens’ new SOMATOM Definition Flash is a dual-source CT scanner that, well, works in a flash. For example, it can do complete scans of the entire chest region in just 0.6 seconds. Best of all for Pediatric patients (and all patients, for that matter) – the dose reduction. According to the company, the system requires only a fraction of the radiation dose that systems previously required to scan even tiny details, but faster than ever. …A new solution that really makes a difference in dose reduction. Good for all patients, especially the littlest ones. More on Eastern Discoveries later.

 

3 Meter CT Record

Rhythmic Film Interpretation

Film Reading Marathon

Synchronized Biopsies

Film Cassette Discus

The colorfully dressed children turned out to be the talented members of the Anima chorus, who performed two songs to ring in the ceremony. After a very enjoyable, and amusing, Chicago Radiological Society skit on the fictitious 2016 Chicago Radiology Olympics, accolades were handed out and the tone grew more serious. In her address, RSNA President Theresa C. McLoud discussed the changing landscape of radiology, which is experiencing an increased demand from an aging population. This trend is particularly worrisome to McLoud because of forecasts for a radiologist shortage. Recognizing a new global radiological marketplace, McLoud supports a worldwide standard of practice, involving the areas of selection, curriculum, certification, and research. Keeping with this theme of interconnectivity, the society announced the creation of myRSNA, a new online tool dubbed as "the homepage of radiologists worldwide."

RSNA officially kicks off this morning with opening remarks at the Arie Crowne Theater. With many in the country cutting back on spending, I sure had expected a noticeably reduced turnout. Not the case at all (at least it's not obvious at first glance)--the auditorium is packed. And the theater isn''t the only place that's crowded. To get here, I had to navigate past swarms of people gathered at an expanded Lakeside Learning Center, housing entirely new exhibit space upstairs as well as aisles of scientific posters downstairs. The lights are dimming, and children wearing brightly colored button-up shirts of yellow, green, teal, purple, and hot pink are filing onto the stage. I'll check back later...

My hotel’s just across from Grant Park. I’m imagining the unprecedented excitement there on November 4th. The country’s greatest show since – I don’t know what! That Obama win, that Obama speech – smart and sobering -- and those Obama crowds so full of hope for better times. …Here I am in “Obama Country” for RSNA – medical imaging’s greatest show. Sure, Chicago is the traditional setting for this mega-event, but seems even more appropriate now, with the struggling economy (our industry knows a little somethin’ about that) and better health care access for all among Obama’s top priorities. …McCormick Place is our Grant Park for the next 5 days. There’ll be excitement, research breakthroughs, speeches and splashy product debuts. We’ll cover the hot products and top trends in this blog. But like the country, the medical imaging industry is facing some serious hurdles. So we’ll be looking beyond the sizzle of sexy booth promotions for genuine solutions to real-world needs. …Who’s really making a difference in women’s imaging, pediatric imaging, geriatric imaging? Where are the affordable, effective solutions for the nearly 5,000 community hospitals that desperately need them? Does anyone really have a handle on this isotope shortage? And speaking of shortages, where’s the next generation of breast imagers coming from? How are we making radiology careers more accessible to women and minorities? …And the list of challenges goes on. …Future solutions start at RSNA. In Chicago. In Obama Country – where the energy couldn’t be more positive. The yes-we-can thing is in the air and applies to anything and everything. That means us – medical imaging. So buzz in on our blog now and then. Find out about the breakthroughs and successes. Respond, react, we want to hear from you. …Yes we do.