New treatments give hope to hearing impaired

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Watch this session on ECR Live: Wednesday, March 4, 08:30–10:00, Room E1
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Hearing loss can present many difficulties and obstacles to sufferers, and with ageing populations it’s set to become a major healthcare challenge. Many conditions such as congenital malformation of the inner ear or hypoplastic cochlear nerve can also lead to hearing loss, and sometimes deafness.

Fortunately, many new treatments are available to recover hearing, both partially and completely. Imaging plays an increasingly important role in therapy planning and follow-up, and there is hope on the research front, experts will show during a dedicated Special Focus session on Wednesday morning.

Microtia – congenital anomaly of external and middle ear, resulting in conductive hearing loss. External auditory canal is not patent (arrow), mastoid process is underdeveloped (arrowhead)

Microtia – congenital anomaly of external and middle ear, resulting in
conductive hearing loss. External auditory canal is not patent (arrow),
mastoid process is underdeveloped (arrowhead)

The prevalence of auditory problems in the Western world has doubled over the past 30 years. It is estimated that between 15 and 17% of the population will suffer hearing loss, due to ageing or congenital malformation, but also bad habits, according to Agnieszka Trojanowska, a radiologist at Lublin University Medical School, Poland, who will
chair the session.

“We start to see young adults in their early 30s with sensorineural hearing loss or other related problems because of high frequency noise, which is typical for listening to music. Twenty years ago, such a condition was linked with working in fabrics or on the street. But the good news is that even if you use your iPod a lot, the degree of hearing
loss is light to moderate, so this is not something that will considerably affect your life,” she said.

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03
Mar 2015
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Seven things you need to know about ECR 2015

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One thing you can say about the ECR is that every year there is always something new. The ESR loves to innovate, and this year is a great example of that, with a number of changes in place that will make ECR 2015 an even better congress experience than before. Here we take you through some of the most important new additions, as well as a couple of other vital things to take note of.

The ESR Walk of Fame, in the entrance hall at ECR 2015, features some of the stars of the society's first ten years

The ESR Walk of Fame, in the entrance hall at ECR 2015, features some of the stars of the society’s first ten years

1. The ESR’s Tenth Anniversary
The European Society of Radiology was founded in February 2005, so we’re celebrating our tenth anniversary at the ECR. This will be most noticeable in the entrance hall, where you’ll be able to take the ESR Walk of Fame, featuring the stars of the ESR’s first ten years, as well as some of the society’s brightest moments. You’ll also be able to collect your own star from the membership desk (in front of the big flower pot) and stick it to our ESR Wall of Fame

2. Electronic Evaluation
This year, ECR session evaluation and CME acquisition has gone completely digital, saving a huge amount of paper and making the whole system a lot more flexible. Delegates can now complete an online questionnaire for every session, which is accessible via the official ECR 2015 App (available from Tuesday, March 3), on more than 160 laptops in the ECR Live & EPOS Lounge, at the registration counters, and at special CME & Evaluation terminals on the first level.

3. New Session Formats
The number of different educational session types has grown and grown over the years. This year, the programme has been simplified, with the majority now grouped under the heading E³ – European Excellence in Education and divided into five branches reflecting the different stages of an individual’s professional career. Congress President, Prof. Bernd Hamm explains the concept here.

4. Best Paper Awards
Not only are there more scientific sessions this year, but at the end of each one, smartphones and mobile device users will be able to vote for their favourite presentation via an online voting tool. The most popular presentation will be awarded a certificate by the session moderators.

The ESR is launching its new eLearning platform at ECR 2015

The ESR is launching its new eLearning platform at ECR 2015

5. Education On Demand
The ESR is launching its brand new eLearning platform Education On Demand at ECR 2015. The platform is packed with online educational resources to suit radiologists at every stage of their career, but most significantly for attendees, it also hosts the self-assessment tests for numerous E3 sessions (see point 1, above) at the congress. Bookmark learn.myesr.org and prepare to assess yourself!

6. ECR Live
Just as last year, more than 1,500 presentations will be streamed online during the congress, completely free of charge via ECR Live. And, just like last year, most of those presentations will also be available to watch on demand from the following day onward. Whether you couldn’t make it to Vienna and want to keep up with what’s going on at Europe’s biggest imaging meeting, or you’re at the congress and want to catch something you missed, there’s just one place you need to go: live.myesr.org

7. Social Media Wall
Once again, the ECR Social Media Wall brings all ECR-related social media activity together in one place. Every time someone uses the #ECR2015 hashtag on Twitter, that tweet will appear on all of the many screens throughout the congress venue, as well as the online stream. Plus, we again have an individual wall for every room being streamed on ECR Live. To join the conversation in any room, just add the room name to the hashtag (e.g. #ECR2015B, #ECR2015D1, #ECR2015MB5) or use ECR Live’s integrated chat function.

Dr. Pepe’s Diploma Casebook: Case 71 – SOLVED!

Diploma_casebook_case71

Dear Friends,

After a short interlude, I am back with radiographs of a 71-year-old smoker with dyspnoea and haemoptysis. Previous history of TB. Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section and come back on Friday for the answer.

PS. Good luck to everyone taking the European Diploma in Radiology examinations at ECR 2015 this week!

Diagnosis:

1. Active TB
2. Carcinoma of the lung
3. Bronchiectasis
4. None of the above

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Caceres’ Corner Case 110 (Update: Solution)

ESR_2015_Blog-CaceresCorner-110

Dear Friends,

Dr. Pepe has eloped to the Bahamas with Miss Piggy and forgot to prepare the Diploma case. Hope he returns happy and suntanned. In the meantime I will show images of a 57-year-old woman with acute chest pain and mild fever. Check the images below, leave your thoughts and diagnosis in the comments section and come back on Friday for the answer.

Diagnosis:

1. Pneumonia
2. Pulmonary infarct
3. Pleural fluid
4. None of the above

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23
Feb 2015
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Prof. Bernd Hamm introduces ECR 2015

ECR2015_banner_blog

Dear Friends of the ECR,

With the European Congress of Radiology 2015 now just around the corner, I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am. As an attendee of every ECR over the last 25 years, I have seen the meeting evolve significantly. I have watched the crowds in the entrance hall and the audiences in the lecture rooms swell to a point where the ECR now regularly attracts more than 20,000 participants. I am confident that this year will be no exception, because the ECR’s deserved reputation is not only for high scientific quality but also for constant innovation in science, education, interactivity, and networking.

Many of you will already have received your congress badge in the post and will be patiently waiting for the moment you can proudly display it as you walk into the Austria Center Vienna. A lot of you have hopefully also made use of the Interactive Programme Planner to browse the sessions and posters on offer at ECR 2015 and to start planning your visit. If you’re not attending in person, you can still use it to start planning your online viewing, as most of the sessions will again be available on our streaming platform, ECR Live.

Bernd Hamm, professor of radiology and chairman of all three merged departments of radiology at the Charité, Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität (Campus Mi e, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, and Campus Benjamin Franklin).

ECR 2015 Congress President, Prof. Bernd Hamm, from Berlin, Germany

An important development this year, which I hope will help to make that planning even easier, is the restructuring of the session formats. Most of the educational sessions at the ECR are now grouped under the heading of E³ – European Excellence in Education, and they are now arranged according to the different levels defined by the European Training Curriculum for Radiology. Here, I would like to introduce you to the five branches of the E³ programme, which reflect the different levels of education in radiology, as well as the different stages of an individual’s professional career:

Rising Stars
The Rising Stars programme is already well established at the ECR; it is a series of sessions prepared especially for residents, medical students, and radiographers in training. This year there are six basic sessions, four student sessions and four different hands-on workshops on ultrasound within the Rising Stars programme.
View the Rising Stars programme in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

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ESR News Quiz Case – February (competition closed)

ESR_News_Header_blog_LO_SZ_01

This month, the prize on offer is free registration for a course offered by the European School of Radiology (ESOR), anywhere in Europe. Simply leave your answer to the question below, as a comment on this post, before February 23 (comments now closed). All correct answers will be entered into a draw and a winner will be selected by the editor of ESR News. The answer and winner will be announced by the end of February.

quiz pic

Question: What is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Maxillary antroliths
B. Gardner syndrome

Click here to reveal the answer

Congratulations to the winner of this month’s competition, Helene Gimonet!

Thank you to all participants and well done to those who got the correct answer. Keep an eye out for the March issue of ESR News and your next chance to win registration for an ESOR course of your choice.

Please note that the competition is open to ESR members only. The choice of ESOR course is open, but the winner must fit any eligibility criteria for the chosen course. The prize must be claimed within 12 months.

Click here for a current overview of ESOR courses.

16
Feb 2015
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Caceres’ Corner Case 109 (Update: Solution)

ESR_2015_Blog-CaceresCorner-109

Dear Friends,

Muppet insists on showing the following case that he saw recently: preoperative chest radiographs of a 25-year-old male with seminoma. Check the images below, leave us your thoughts in the comments, and come back on Friday for the answer.

Diagnosis:

1. Tuberculosis
2. Metastases
3. Mucous impaction
4. None of the above

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16
Feb 2015
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Dr. Pepe’s Diploma Casebook: Case 70 – SOLVED!

Diploma_casebook_case70

Dear Friends,

Today I am showing chest radiographs of a 34-year-old male with dyspnea. Check the images below, leave your diagnosis in the comements section and come back on Friday for the answer.

Diagnosis:

1. Mitral disease
2. Pulmonary arterial hypertension
3. Interstitial pneumonia
4. None of the above

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09
Feb 2015
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Caceres’ Corner Case 108 (Update: Solution)

ESR_2012_Blog-CaceresCorner-590-CASE108

Dear Friends,

Muppet is in Naples this week and left me alone to present the case of a 58-year-old man, asymptomatic. Check the images below, leave me your thoughts and diagnosis in the comments section, and come back on Friday for the answer.

Diagnosis:

1. Epicardial fat pad
2. Morgagni’s hernia
3. Pericardial cyst
4. None of the above

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02
Feb 2015
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Dr. Pepe’s Diploma Casebook: Case 69 – SOLVED!

Diploma_casebook_case69

Dear Friends,

Today I am showing radiographs of a 61-year-old woman who underwent surgery for ovarian carcinoma three years ago.
Examine the images below, leave your diagnosis in the comments section and come back on Friday for the answer.

Diagnosis:
1. Carcinoma of the lung
2. Metastases
3. Tuberculosis
4. None of the above

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