Photon-counting CT (PCCT) has dominated discussion for the last number of RSNA meetings, and this year will be no exception. Expect to hear PCCT research findings about how the technology can increase image quality and lower radiation dose in pulmonary angiography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism; how it appears to boost the contrast-to-noise ratio of vascular structures on chest CT; and what it has to offer in the musculoskeletal arena.
Meeting attendees will also get the scoop on the role CT radiomics can play in clinical care, particularly helping clinicians determine the best treatment for patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Other research to be presented will explore how chest CT muscle/body composition data can predict whether patients with pneumonia and known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will require hospitalization. What's more, body composition analysis can also help in predicting the prognosis of individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
A big theme at this year's meeting will be lung cancer screening: how to increase its uptake and how to best perform it. Look for research that explores the question of how common benign surgeries are after lung cancer screening (spoiler alert: too common); whether the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) 2021 screening update has proven effective for catching lung cancer earlier; and how to "bundle" mammography and lung cancer screening to boost uptake of the latter.
As well as research, the RSNA will offer a variety of educational CT courses, with topics ranging from the essentials of spine trauma; high-resolution CT; and CT of post-acute lung complications of COVID-19 to cone beam breast CT, dual- and multi-energy CT of the abdomen and pelvis, arthritis and body composition analysis, and coronary CT.
For more information on the presentations we're highlighting below and other abstracts, take a look at the RSNA 2023 meeting program.
PCCT improves contrast-to-noise ratio on chest imaging
Sunday, November 26 | 9:10 a.m.-9:20 a.m. | S1-SSCH01-2 | Room S401
Photon-counting CT (PCCT) improves the contrast-to-noise ratio of vascular structures imaged on chest CT when compared with conventional CT -- and reduces radiation dose, according to a presentation to be delivered on Sunday morning.
Coordinating lung cancer screening with mammography boosts uptake
Sunday, November 26 | 1:00 p.m.-1:10 p.m. | S4-SSCH02-1 | Room N228
Coordinating lung cancer and mammography screening boosts uptake of the former, a team of researchers has found.
Updated lung cancer screening recs promote earlier disease detection
Sunday, November 26 | 1:10 p.m.-1:20 p.m. | S4-SSCH02-2 | Room N228
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's 2021 lung cancer screening guidelines appear to promote earlier diagnosis of smoking-related malignancies, according to Harvard researchers.
How common are benign surgeries after lung cancer screening?
Sunday, November 26 | 1:40 p.m.-1:50 p.m. | S4-SSCH02-5 | Room N228
At least 15% of surgeries after lung cancer screening are performed on benign lesions, a study to be presented Sunday afternoon has found.
Additional CT-guided lung biopsy may be needed after pneumonia result
Monday, November 27 | 3:00 p.m.-3:10 p.m. | M7-SSCH04-2 | Room E352
It's prudent to recommend additional CT-guided lung biopsy in patients suspected of malignancy who have an initial result of organizing pneumonia, according to researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in New York City.
Chest CT body composition data predicts IPF patient outcomes
Tuesday, November 28 | 8:20 a.m.-8:30 a.m. | T1-SSCH05-4 | Room S404
Chest CT body composition data -- specifically, findings that show a patient's body fat has decreased -- helps predict outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a group of researchers from the University of South Alabama Health in Mobile.
Chest CT muscle composition data helps predict adverse health outcomes
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:40 p.m.-1:50 p.m. | T6-SSCH06-2 | Room E350
Using deep learning with chest CT to assess muscle composition can help predict whether patients with pneumonia and known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will require hospitalization, research to be presented Tuesday afternoon has found.
Chest CT shows that marijuana use isn't harmless
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:50 p.m.-2:00 p.m. | T6-SSCH06-3 | Room E350
Chest CT shows that marijuana smoking has a negative effect on the lungs and chest wall, according to research to be presented Tuesday afternoon.
Pulmonary angiography with PCCT bests conventional CT for PE diagnosis
Wednesday, November 29 | 3:10 p.m.-3:20 p.m. | W7-SSCH08-2 | Room E350
Using photon-counting CT (PCCT) to conduct pulmonary angiography exams is an effective way to diagnose acute pulmonary embolism (PE) at lower radiation dose than conventional CT, German researchers have reported.
PCCT improves image quality, lowers radiation dose on chest CTPA
Wednesday, November 29 | 3:20 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | W7-SSCH08-3 | Room E350
The image quality of chest CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) exams performed with photon-counting CT (PCCT) is better than conventional CT and can be performed at a 52% lower radiation dose, according to study results to be presented on Wednesday.
DECT-based technique identifies metastatic lymph nodes
Wednesday, November 29 | 3:30 p.m.-3:40 p.m. | W7-SSCH08-4 | Room E350
In this Wednesday presentation, researchers will share results from a study that demonstrated how a dual-energy computed tomography (DECT)-based technique can identify lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients.
CT-based deep learning radiomics may help determine NSCLC treatment
Thursday, November 30 | 11:10 a.m.-11:20 a.m. | R4-SSCH10-2 | Room S405
A CT-based deep-learning radiomics biomarker appears to characterize the level of expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), according to study results that will be presented Thursday morning.
