The Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA of Oak Brook, Ill.) returns to McCormick Place in Chicago in December for its 88th edition. RSNA organizers see 2002 as “a milestone in radiology’s transition from x-ray to digital imaging and computer-assisted diagnosis.”

MRI   
The medical imaging modality shows no signs of age, as the 1.5 tesla MRI segment comprises the largest block of the market and open MRI systems are gaining ground.

CT   
Multislice CT technology continues to garner more attention, as the modality images patients faster and adds new clinical applications that could not have been performed with single-slice technology.

Ultrasound   
The ultrasound market in the United States expanded by 10 percent in 2001 to revenues of $1.1 billion, as vendors make models more portable and add more high-tech features to low- and middle-range systems.

Information Technology   
Be prepared to hear about integration, connectivity and workflow, as well as other advances in how information technology helps healthcare facilities improve access to images to optimize patient care.

Nuclear Medicine   
Molecular imaging will draw more attention this year, as vendors unveil new techniques for burgeoning applications in cardiology, oncology and gene expression.

X-ray   
With digital radiography (DR) and computed radiography (CR) making in-roads at the expense of conventional x-ray, expect their influence to become more prevalent.

Mammography   
While the adoption of digital mammography has been perceived by many industry observers as slow, vendors have not waned in their efforts to bring the technology to the forefront.

From Sunday, Dec. 1 through Friday, Dec. 6, RSNA organizers are anticipating that attendance will increase from last year’s total, which was down 11 percent to 53,560, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Pre-registration numbers indicate an increase in attendance this year, signaling no evidence of a long-term, negative impact from last year’s events.

Please refer to the November 2002 issue for the complete story. For information on article reprints, contact Martin St. Denis