By Dave Yeager
Radiology Today
Vol. 21 No. 1 P. 4
As we roll into 2020, those who are old enough to remember the Y2K hysteria are probably wondering—at least a little—where the time went. We’re one-fifth through the century, and it seems like only yesterday that Eminem and Coldplay were hot new musical acts and Russell Crowe was slaying the competition at the box office. Still, the dawn of a new decade tends to inspire some optimism. As people squint at the outlines of the future, part of the fun is in imagining that the images in their mind’s eye are taking shape. The true forms will be revealed soon enough, but hope is eternal. What the future holds for radiology is always a hot—and often hotly debated—topic of discussion, and we’re presenting some of the possibilities in this issue.
In our cover feature, Kathy Hardy examines the current state of AI in radiology and where it may be headed. AI has been the source of a different type of hysteria, but recent signs indicate that people are learning to stop worrying and love AI. (OK, “love” may be overstating it, but at least there’s less fear and loathing these days.) While radiology AI is still in an early phase, use cases are emerging for workflow and image enhancement. There are still many hurdles to be addressed before it’s fully integrated, but it seems a good bet that AI and radiology will be linked going forward.
Speculating about the future is the premise of our annual 5 Things to Watch feature. Each year, vendors travel to RSNA to tout their latest wares, academics present research on the latest developments in radiology, and Radiology Today dutifully reports on the people, places, and things that grabbed our attention. Check out the rundown on page 14.
A past, present, and future problem is cybersecurity. As hackers devise increasingly sophisticated means of stealing valuable medical data, vendors are hard pressed to keep up. Keith Loria provides an update on the ongoing chess match and how vendors are working to protect data on DR machines.
Finally, some technological advances are so new that people are still learning about the best ways to use them. That’s the case with black-blood cinematic rendering, a method of processing CT data that produces photorealistic images. Beth W. Orenstein has a closer look at this exciting development.
Enjoy the issue, and Happy New Year!