The Swedish radiologist Prof. Katrine Riklund, the current Chair of the ESR Board of Directors, has dedicated her career to the development of hybrid imaging. During todays’ Marie Curie Honorary Lecture (Room A, 1:00 p.m.) she will look back at the achievements made in this emerging field and look forward to future advances.

Riklund, who is a professor, consultant in diagnostic radiology and pro-vice-chancellor of Umeå University, is one of Sweden’s leading radiologists. She is also one of the first researchers to have recognised the potential of combining PET with CT and MRI, and has worked to advance the field ever since its emergence at the beginning of the 21^st century.

“The combination of structural and functional/molecular imaging is fascinating. The entire field is new and extremely interesting, and it’s the closest to my heart when it comes to imaging,” she said.

Prof. Katrine Riklund from Umeå, Sweden, will speak about the growing significance of hybrid imaging in today’s honorary lecture.

During her lecture, Prof. Riklund will share examples of what hybrid imaging can do and what is going to come next. A major trend will be making use of the entire hybrid imaging examination for diagnostic protocols, also for the CT part, she believes. “This changes workflow and gives us more information. PET and CT or MR are not competing techniques, they are complementary,” she said.

Tracer development is key for PET but digital detectors will also represent a major step forward. Currently, the need for a cyclotron for production of radionuclides hinders substantial distribution of scanners outside large centres. “To make hybrid imaging really take off, we need other forms of tracer production. I would like to see the tracer production work like a coffee machine – with buttons to select tracer and radionuclide,” she said.

In her day-to-day work, Prof. Riklund is involved in various research projects, such as COBRA, a prospective multimodal imaging study of dopamine, brain structure and function, and cognition; (PEARL-PD), ¹⁸F-FE-PE2I PET/CT, a study of dopamine transporters in early Parkinson’s disease, RECTOPET (REctal Cancer Trial On PET-MR/CT); and Prostate Cancer – PSMA and Acetate in PET/CT and PET/MR. These projects reflect her three major interests in the field; movement disorders and cognition in central nervous system, and prostate and colorectal cancer.

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by Viviene Raper

How to create hand-made chocolate masterpieces isn’t your usual radiology talk but, in tomorrow’s session, radiologists with a sweet tooth can learn all about truffle making and other confectionery arts from a leading Swiss chocolatier – interspersed with more conventional talks about radiology in Switzerland.

Andreas Trumpler, managing director marketing and group CMO at Läderach chocolatier suisse, will be giving two short presentations about how Swiss chocolate is transformed from cacao bean to chocolate, and then into a hand-made masterpiece. The company employs more than 800 people and since 1962, it has established a reputation for chocolate and confectionery specialties. Läderach’s products are sold throughout Switzerland and Germany, as well as by partners in the Middle East and Asia, and it supplies the top end of the gastronomy and hotel industry with semi-finished and finished products.

Fresh Chocolate with almonds from Läderach chocolatier suisse: the original view.

The connection between Swiss chocolate and Swiss radiology is one of quality, according to Prof. Dr. Dominik Weishaupt, who has been President of the Swiss Society of Radiology (SGR-SSR) since 2016 and is chairing tomorrow’s session.

“Over the 100 years of the Society’s history, we have undertaken several initiatives to improve the quality of Swiss radiology. And chocolate is considered as one of the highest quality products manufactured in Switzerland,” he noted.

Weishaupt, who is chief physician in the Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at City Hospital Zurich, explained that Swiss chocolate needs precision manufacturing, and Swiss radiology also prides itself on its attention to detail. He said that the SGR-SSR was the first medical society to introduce board exams, as well as clinical audits for radiology departments in the private and public sector, which they developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Read more…

The radiological community must understand the potential of value-based radiology and its related challenges, the German radiologist Marc Dewey will argue during the Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen honorary lecture today at ECR 2018.

Marc Dewey is Heisenberg Professor of Radiology of the German Research Foundation and Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His main research interest is in cardiovascular imaging but he is interested in many other aspects of clinical practice including value-based imaging, something he will detail in his lecture at the ECR.

Prof. Marc Dewey from Berlin will deliver today’s Honorary Lecture on value-based imaging at 12:15 in Room A.

“Participants will get to know three things. First, why the time for value-based radiology is now. Second, they will appreciate the potential of value-based radiology in the clinical care process. And third, understand the challenges in implementing value-based radiology,” Dewey promised.

Combining human image analysis and artificial intelligence has great potential for creating value for patients at lower costs, he believes. “This is value-based radiology and the time to get involved is now, as this is not merely a new technical toy of radiologists but will be accompanying the entire diagnostic and treatment pathway in all clinical service lines for the benefit of our patients,” he said.

Dewey is the coordinator of the DISCHARGE trial, an EU-funded multicentre project with more than 30 partners across Europe that will determine whether cardiac CT may replace invasive coronary angiography in certain patients. “The DISCHARGE project is a unique and truly impressive effort of several hundred individuals working at 31 sites in 18 European countries. External advisory board members were often thrilled when first witnessing the team spirit at our annual meetings,” said Dewey, who will soon present results of the on-going clinical trial. He said coordinating a large project on imaging in Europe gave him “the ability to better understand the culture, concerns, and ideas in different regions of Europe.”

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by Prof. Bernd Hamm, ESR President

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to ECR 2018!

The European Congress of Radiology has attendees from all over the world – from over 140 countries and many diverse cultures. It is a multi-professional meeting where international experts can shake hands with students, medical residents exchange ideas with physicists, and radiographers share their perspectives with industry representatives.

I chose ‘Diverse & United’ as our congress motto this year, as radiology is such a diverse specialty, covering a huge range of medical and scientific topics: from ever more refined diagnostic options to image-guided minimally invasive treatment options. Alongside our diversity, as radiologists and radiographers we should also stay united, which is in the interest of our specialty and our patients. This is what our congress is: something to offer for everyone, regardless of profession, cultural background or specialisation.

ESR President Bernd Hamm is professor of radiology and chairman of all three merged departments of radiology at the Charité, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität. He is also clinical director of the Charité Center, which includes radiology, neuroradiology, nuclear medicine and medical physics.

Being Congress President in 2015 gave me the unique opportunity for re-evaluation and to implement new things that I feel strongly about as well as fine-tune features that already existed. It was generally important to me to introduce new ideas in order for those of you who’ve even been coming to Vienna for decades, just like me, to get the chance to experience multiple innovations.

MyT3 is a new session format, adapting the ECR even more to these fast-moving times. 240 daring colleagues will present their scientific thesis in just three minutes! As if this wasn’t dramatic enough, we decided to hold these speedy sessions on the Sky High Stage which overlooks the city of Vienna, as only the sky is the limit for this new generation of radiology professionals.

Additionally, we created another new session format, ‘Coffee & Talk’, which is highly interactive with much more time for discussion than usual and in a relaxed atmosphere, with the possibility to also enjoy a coffee or other hot beverage. The interesting lectures on offer in these sessions call for an exciting exchange, bringing together different statements and opinions as well as Viennese coffee culture.

For the first time, the CUBE will open its doors to you: a theme park for interventional radiology (IR), designed for residents who haven’t specialised yet. Challenges, quizzes, training and much more will be focused on IR in emergencies plus other everyday topics, including the aorta, oncology, peripherals, and stroke. Without wanting to give away too much, I recommend paying the Cube a visit during lunchtime for ‘the main event’: the daily highlight involving experts in the arena, less challenging as well as more challenging interventions and much more. Come and be part of it!

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Dear Friends,

This week I am presenting a case that my wife saw three weeks ago. The radiographs belong to a 45-year-old man, asymptomatic. What will be your diagnosis?

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section, and come back on Friday for the answer.

1. Enlarged azygos vein
2. Enlarged ymph node
3. Mediastinal mass
4. Any of the above

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Dear Friends,

I am presenting an unknown case (no final answer yet), but I believe that I have the answer, pending further studies. Radiographs belong to a 67-year-old woman and were taken during a routine check-up. Will show more images on Wednesday.

What do you see?

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section, and come back on Wednesday for more images and Friday for the answer.

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Dear Friends,

Today, I am showing radiographs of a 68-year-old man with pain in the chest. What do you see?

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section, and come back on Friday for the answer.
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Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! To start 2018 with an easy case, I am showing pre-op PA radiograph and CT of a 49-year-old woman with carcinoma of the breast.

Diagnosis:

1. Metastasis
2. Neurogenic tumour
3. Duplication cyst
4. Any of the above

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section and come back on Friday for the answer.

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Dear Friends,

Today I am showing radiographs of a close friend of mine, a 76-year-old man who had an abdominal CT for renal stones. Some abnormalities were detected at the base of the right lung, and chest radiographs and CT were done.

What do you see?

This is the last case of 2017. Next case will be presented on Monday, January 8. Wish you the best for the coming year!

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section, and come back on Friday for the answer.

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Dear Friends,

This will be the last Diploma Casebook case posted on the ESR Blog. Following the steps of Neymar, I have been offered a succulent contract by the European Board of Radiology and next year I will posting my cases on the EBR website, starting on Monday, January 15. I am excited about this new challenge and hope you will be too!

Radiographs of today’s case belong to a 76-year-old man with pain in the chest after a fall. What do you see?

Check the images below, leave your thoughts in the comments section, and come back on Friday for the answer.

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