Will Morton

Chest CT muscle attenuation predicts future bone density loss

Muscle and bone loss commonly coexist with aging, but potential links between paraspinal muscle and thoracic vertebral bone mineral density loss remain poorly understood

September 15, 2026

Study overview. (A) Volumetric segmentation of the paraspinal musculature was performed for 1,316 participants. (B) Manual segmentation was performed, the results were compared with the volumetric segmentation results, and the Dice score and the intersection over union were calculated. (C) The three-dimensional segmentations from T1 through T10 were individually extracted and combined into a single volume for analyses. (D) Muscle volume and median muscle attenuation were derived from the segmentation volumes. (E) Analyses were performed to assess the correlation of the paraspinal muscle attenuation and volume with the bone mineral density and the ability to predict vertebral fractures. NIFTI = Neuroimaging Informatics Technology Initiative, 3D = three-dimensional.

AI cuts chest CT reporting time

Exploratory modeling suggested an approximate reduction of 0.5 full-time equivalent radiologist workload.

September 1, 2026

Example of AI-assisted pulmonary nodule detection and longitudinal volumetric assessment in a 65-year-old woman with peripheral arterial disease, a 24-pack-year smoking history, emphysema, and a family history of lung cancer. An incidental 8.5-mm right lower lobe pulmonary nodule is identified at CT angiography of the abdomen in July 2022 but does not receive follow-up. Subsequent imaging demonstrates interval growth, and CT-guided biopsy confirms stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. Contrast-enhanced axial chest CT images obtained on February 2, 2024, before robotic-assisted thoracoscopic segmentectomy, show a 12.1-mm spiculated right lower lobe pulmonary nodule. (A) Conventional contrast-enhanced axial chest CT image without AI assistance shows a 12.1-mm spiculated right lower lobe pulmonary nodule. (B) Corresponding CT image with AI-assisted pulmonary nodule detection, automated segmentation, and quantitative nodule assessment identifies a solid pulmonary nodule (nodule #1) measuring 13 × 8 (11) mm, with a volume of 739 mm3, a 45% volumetric increase compared with the previous contrast-enhanced chest CT performed on October 9, 2023 (510 mm3), and an estimated volume doubling time (VDT) of 216 days. (C) AI-generated longitudinal nodule analysis displays automated segmentation of the current (February 2, 2024) and previous (October 9, 2023) CT examinations, 3D nodule reconstruction, and quantitative volumetric assessment for longitudinal follow-up. The AI interface is displayed in the original software language (Dutch).

CT reveals progressive growth pattern in incidental lung nodules

This pattern is most associated with a family history of lung cancer.

August 25, 2026

Serial axial chest CT scans demonstrating the longitudinal evolution of small pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs) incidentally detected during a routine wellness assessment. (A) Images in a 37-year-old woman with a family history of lung cancer show a nodule with the progressive growth pattern (box). The baseline CT scan, obtained in October 2017, demonstrates a pure ground-glass nodules in the right lower lobe. Consecutive CT scans obtained from 2017 to 2022 show the continuous enlargement of the nodule during active surveillance. The maximum diameter of the nodule increased from 5.6 mm in 2017 to 10.2 mm in 2022. (B) Images in a 45-year-old man show a nodule with the indolent growth pattern (box). The baseline CT scan, obtained in April 2018, demonstrates a pure ground-glass nodules in the left lower lobe. Consecutive CT scans obtained from 2019 to 2023 show that the nodule remained radiographically stable during CT surveillance. The maximum diameter of the nodule was 5.4 mm in 2018 and 6.1 mm at the final surveillance scan in 2023.

Radiation Oncology/Therapy

Food insecurity linked to higher risk of death in breast cancer

Food-insecure regions are where people lack consistent access to enough affordable, nutritious food.

August 21, 2026

CT for breast radiotherapy detects ischemic heart disease risk

As survival after early-stage breast cancer improves, cardiovascular disease has emerged as an increasingly prominent competing risk in older women.

August 17, 2026

Interventional

PAE effective in men over 80 years old

Findings support PAE as an important minimally invasive treatment option for elderly patients who are nonsurgical candidates.

August 14, 2026

CT 5-star quality rating system supports optimization

The rating framework demonstrated robust reproducibility, with three-reader concordance reaching up to 93% in highly standardized centers.

August 7, 2026

Digital X-Ray

Bone scan testing has fallen 35% among Medicare beneficiaries

Declines in testing were greatest among certain underserved groups.

August 7, 2026

Avoiding the ED cuts urgent CT turnaround time by half

This is the first reported pilot of an expedited outpatient direct-to-CT imaging program designed to promote ED avoidance.

August 6, 2026

Can LLMs fill the communication gap with referring clinicians?

LLMs could potentially help address multiple persistent pain points in radiology workflow.

August 4, 2026

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CCTA links neighborhood income to atherosclerosis

The relationship between socioeconomic disparities and imaging-defined coronary atherosclerosis on CCTA has not been fully understood.

$Study overview. (A) Volumetric segmentation of the paraspinal musculature was performed for 1,316 participants. (B) Manual segmentation was performed, the results were compared with the volumetric segmentation results, and the Dice score and the intersection over union were calculated. (C) The three-dimensional segmentations from T1 through T10 were individually extracted and combined into a single volume for analyses. (D) Muscle volume and median muscle attenuation were derived from the segmentation volumes. (E) Analyses were performed to assess the correlation of the paraspinal muscle attenuation and volume with the bone mineral density and the ability to predict vertebral fractures. NIFTI = Neuroimaging Informatics Technology Initiative, 3D = three-dimensional.$