This program reviews fundamental MRI safety protocols and meets the annual training recommendations from the American College of Radiology. Importantly, MRI facilities must now comply with the revised requirements for diagnostic imaging from The Joint Commission and document that MRI technologists participate in ongoing education that includes annual training on safe MRI practices in the MRI environment. As such, Advanced MRI Safety Training for Healthcare Professionals, Level 2 MR Personnel covers each MRI safety topic specified by The Joint Commission, as well as many additional subjects that will expand the knowledge-base of healthcare professionals.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of MRI, the author of the best-selling textbook series, the Reference Manual for Magnetic Resonance Safety, Implants and Devices, and the creator of the internationally popular website, www.MRIsafety.com, Dr. Frank G. Shellock is uniquely qualified to present the information in this program.

Advanced MRI Safety Training for Healthcare Professionals, Level 2 MR Personnel is a 150-minute program that is divided into three sections.

Educational Objectives

• Understand the safety issues related to MRI.
• Describe the bioeffects associated with the static magnetic field, time-varying magnetic, and radiofrequency fields.
• Present guidelines that prevent projectile-related accdents.
• Describe polices that avoid issues related to acoustic noise.
• Review procedures that prevent burns associated with MRI.
• Explain and demonstrate appropriate pre-MRI screening procedures.
• Identify techniques to manage patients with claustrophobia, anxiety, or emotional distress.
• Describe guidelines to handle medical emergencies in the MRI setting.
• Identify safety considerations for gadolinium-based contrast agents.

This is a Pay-To-View program. Purchase is required for full program access.

This program describes the Joint Commission’s requirements for annual training on specific MRI safety practices. In addition, it covers procedures to manage patients undergoing MRI with recommendations to prevent ferromagnetic objects from entering the MRI environment; claustrophobia, anxiety, or emotional distress; guidelines to screen patients with medical implants and devices; procedures to prevent thermal injuries; methods to handle patients requiring urgent or emergent medical care; contrast agent safety including information for nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and techniques to avoid problems related to acoustic noise.

Educational Objectives

1. Describe the latest requirements from The Joint Commission for MRI with an emphasis on safety and training.
2. Present procedures for managing claustrophobic patients, screening prior to MRI, preventing ferromagnetic accidents, avoiding MRI-related thermal injuries, handling emergencies, and preventing acoustic noise issues.
3. Define methods to ensure compliance with the latest requirements from The Joint Commission for MRI safety.
4. Summarize The Joint Commission’s requirements for annual training on specific MRI safety practices.

This is a Pay-To-View program. Purchase is required for full program access.

As new technological advances in Magnetic Resonance & Ultrasound continue to impact how healthcare professionals diagnose and treat sports related injuries; this program from RSNA 2017 features:

The Future of MR in MSK
by Dr. Christine Chung
Unique Ultrasound Solutions in MSK and Sports Medicine
by Dr. Jon Jacobson

Each provides insight into how these modalities are transforming patient care. Also included is a live USD scanning session with Dr. Jacobson, where he provides a detailed description of his scanning techniques.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe imaging techniques that can reduce scan time without decreasing image quality.
• Describe how the infrastructure of MSK tissue provides a rationale for the development of a qualitative pulse sequence.
• Be familiar with the normal appears of tendons under USD
• Recognize the common MSK pathology seen on USD
• Describe applications where dynamic USD is used in MSK imaging.

This program was originally presented live at RSNA 2017 and sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME) and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems (now Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.).

PET/CT using Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been used for many years as an adjunct modality to conventional imaging. Until recently, PET/CT’s main utility was in oncology and to a lesser degree cardiology and neurology. However, new radiotracers were approved by the FDA; increasing the application of PET/CT in clinical practice. This Expert Forum aims to educate medical imaging professionals about the common indications of Time of Flight (TOF) PET/CT scans using various radiotracers that include: F18- FDG, F18-Fluciclovine, GA68-DOTA-TATE, and F18-Florbetapir.

Following the presentation questions from the audience were addressed in a moderated Q&A session.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe the importance of PET/CT quality.
• Describe common FDG applications.
• Describe the legacy and new FDA-approved radiotracers, their indications and cost.

This program was originally broadcast live as part of a webinar sponsored by IAME and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Philips Healthcare.

As technology continues to impact how healthcare is practiced, this presentation on Computed Tomography - What's Next & Why? | New Hardware & Software Transformations will highlight through the clinical experiences of an Expert Faculty; how they are maximizing the latest advances to increase patient care, satisfaction and throughput.

This program was originally presented live at RSNA 2016 and sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME) and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems.

Wende N. Gibbs, MD, MA, and Lawrence N. Tanenbaum, MD, FACR

Hydrocephalus is a a mechanical complication of different pathologic conditions and a disease process itself.  The morphologic features are easily recognizable, but the patho-physiology remains incompletely understood.  Nearly all hydrocephalus is due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obstruction at some point between the ventricles and the systemic venous circulation.  Classification is important as it informs optimal treatment. 

Optimized imaging is vital to the success of flow diversion.  Current treatments are limited and invasive: CSF diversion via catheter or endoscopic third ventriculostomy.  Decision making relies upon high resolution imaging to determine the site of obstruction and anatomic features that may complicate the procedure.

Morphologic and physiologic imaging are used to evaluate suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).  Several morphologic measures individually and in combination have shown high positive predictive value in identifying individuals who will respond to treatment with ventricular shunting and in differentiating NPH from Alzheimer disease, which can have a similar imaging appearance.

Available for SA-CME Credit. To receive SA–CME credit, you must complete the post exam and review the discussion and references provided with the exam results.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) ended the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which has determined Medicare Part B reimbursement rates for physicians and replaces it with new ways of paying for care. Under MACRA, participating providers will be paid based on the quality and effectiveness (value) of care they provide rather than the volume of care they provide under the current system.

This Expert Forum webcast features a panel of experts who will review the importance of MACRA and what it means to the radiology community. They will provide an overview of what MACRA involves and define which providers must begin planning immediately. In addition, the program will describe the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the four performance categories, which will ultimately determine how radiologists and other physicians are reimbursed for their services.

The panel is moderated by Dr. Gregory N. Nicola, Vice President, Hackensack Radiology Group and will answer questions from the online audience.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe what MACRA is and how it will affect radiologists.
• Understand the performance category measurements.
• Describe the necessary steps to be MACRA Ready by 2019. ​

Supported Through An Unrestricted Educational Grant from Bracco Diagnostics, Inc.

A review of the literature indicates an increased incidence of gadolinium deposition in the brain as a result of repeated contrast-enhanced MR imaging procedures. With a wide selection of gadolinium-based contrast agents available; imaging professionals must be aware of their chemical make-up when selecting the best agent for a particular study.

In this final CME/CE Accredited Expert Forum Webcast of our four-part series, Dr. Lawrence Tanenbaum reviews contrast-enhanced Neuro MRI with an emphasis on current practices and indications as well as a survey of manifestations of diseases on contrast-enhanced MRI of the brain and spine.

Following Dr. Tanenbaum's questions from the audience were taken and answered in a moderated Q&A..

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental indications for contrast use in evaluation of the brain and spine.
• Understand the appearance of contrast enhanced MRI of a variety of disease states.
• Review the technical parameters for obtaining optimized contrast enhanced images in the spine and brain at 1.5 and 3T.

Supported Through An Unrestricted Educational Grant from Guerbet, LLC.

Alysha Vartevan, DO; Crystal May, DO; and Craig E. Barnes, MD

Bone tumors are one of the most common lesions encountered by radiologists. Fortunately, most pediatric bone tumors are benign. Although cross sectional imaging such as CT or MRI can be useful, the most important imaging modality in the initial workup of a bone tumor is the plain radiograph.

Differentiating between benign and malignant bone tumors is not always straightforward; however, it is possible to distinguish between them by carefully evaluating charac-teristics such as the lesion’s type of margin, pattern of bone destruction, type of periosteal reaction and presence of an associated soft tissue mass. In addition, matrix type and tumor location can help narrow the differential diagnosis.

Available for SA-CME Credit. To receive SA–CME credit, you must complete the post exam and review the discussion and references provided with the exam results.

Uncertainty still exists regarding the appropriate and effective routine assessment of myocardial disease with contrast-enhanced MRI. Today more recent and novel MRI myocardial characterization techniques exist, such as T1 and T2 mapping. However, insufficient awareness of the pitfalls in cardiac MRI diagnosis frequently contribute to missed diagnosis in the workup of patients with myocardial infarction and other diseases of the heart muscle.

This Expert Forum featuring Dr. Joseph Schoepf will address these issues and provide a review of the basic principles and recent advances in contrast-enhanced Cardiac MR imaging. Particular emphasis will be placed on the MR assessment of diseases of the myocardium and novel methods for their granular characterization. Following Dr. Schoepf's presentation, a short Q&A was conducted where questions from the audience were answered.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Select suitable approaches for the routine assessment of myocardial disease with contrast-enhanced MRI.
• Discuss current developments in the MR characterization of the myocardium.
• Implement methods to improve accuracy of Cardiac MRI for the granular, comprehensive diagnosis of myocardium infarction and fibrosis.

Supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Guerbet, LLC.

Computed Tomography (CT) continues to be the modality of choice in most emergency departments and is respected for its ability to quickly capture cross sectional images of the body, allowing ED physicians to quickly assess patients.

In recent years, several manufacturers have developed scanners with the ability acquire images at varying energy levels, which allow imaging professionals to differentiate the various elements of the body based on their material density and atomic numbers.

This technique has the potential to revolutionize the way we depict and interpret CT scans. In this Expert Forum Webcast, Dr. Gopal Punjabi will share his clinical experiences with the use of Spectral CT in the Emergency Department with a focus on body imaging.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe scenarios where spectral CT can enhance diagnosis.
• Describe the types of images that can be obtained with spectral CT.
• Understand how to interpret the additional data acquired in spectral CT imaging.

Supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Philips Healthcare.

Andrew Kennedy, MD; Susan Garwood, MD; Allison Grow, MD, PhD; Ryan Lipscomb, MS

Multidisciplinary team members treating lung cancers may not be aware of the complexity and coordination required for delivery of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to lung masses. Shifts in practice have occurred in management of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly with regard to the role of the specialized pulmonologist (interventional pulmonology), which involves different staging techniques than traditional mediastinoscopy. This review provides key information to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for patient selection, work up, behind-the-scenes critical quality assurance tasks, and clinical pearls for stereotactic radiation therapy for lung cancer.

Available for SA-CME Credit. To receive SA–CME credit, you must complete the post exam and review the discussion and references provided with the exam results.

Fetal MRI is a relatively new area of imaging, which is technically challenging. It is important to understand the safety implications when imaging a fetus. In addition, given that the fetus is not sedated, it is important that technical knowledge of the imaging and a planned approach to the procedure is in place.

In this educational lecture, the preparation, positioning, planning for and obtaining of images as well as problem solving during the procedure will be discussed. The importance of anatomic imaging leading to accurate interpretation will be reinforced in cased-based examples of imaging singleton and twin gestations.

Following Dr. Kline-Fath's presentation questions from the audience were addressed in a moderated Q&A session.

Educational Objectives

• Review the safety of fetal MR Imaging.
• Describe the technical approach to fetal MR Imaging.
• Describe cases in which fetal MRI was helpful in the evaluation of singleton and twin gestations.

Supported Through An Unrestricted Educational Grant from Philips Healthcare.

Open MRI Systems have evolved enormously since their inception in the 1980’s and today true high-field systems offer an excellent, patient centric alternative to closed, cylindrical bore systems for imaging of basic and advanced applications throughout the body.

In this final installment of this 2-Part series, which is being chaired and moderated by Dr. Lawrence N. Tanenbaum, we will hear from Dr. John Feller who will address the advantages of high-field open MRI systems for MSK imaging. Specifically, he will cover patient comfort, image quality, isocentric imaging, metal artifact reduction scanning (MARS), solenoid coil technology, fat suppression, operational efficiency, and marketability.

Following the presentation, Dr. Tanenbaum will moderate a live Q&A where questions from the audience will be addressed.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe how market forces including patient centric imaging are impacting today’s radiology departments.
• Describe how modern Open MRI Systems align with value-based care and are changing the way that imaging facilities do business.
• Understand the technical specifications of High-Field Open MRI Systems.
• Understand the concept of isotropic imaging and new fat suppression technologies.
• Describe the increased image quality and range of applications in MSK imaging.

Supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Hitachi Healthcare Americas