Diagnostic Radiology
Introduction
The Division of Diagnostic Radiology is committed to improving health through excellence in image oriented patient care and research. Our Division performs more than 64,000 inpatient and outpatient procedures annually. The division also conducts clinical scientific research as well as basic scientific research. And the results translate directly into better patient care.
Routine Activities
1. Diagnostic Modalities
Our division
has four helical CT scanners including two multi-slice CT scanners, two 1.5T
MRI systems, two digital subtraction angiographic (DSA) systems, two gamma
cameras with the capacity for single photon emission CT (SPECT), two digital
radiographic (DR) systems for fluoroscopy, two mammography and four computed
radiographic (CR) systems. One DSA system is equipped with helical CT, and
is also referred to as an IVR-CT system. This year, positron emission tomography
(PET) scanner and baby cyclotron have been introduced, and tumor imaging by
18F-FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) has been started These all-digital image systems
enhance the efficacy of routine examination.
This division has six consulting radiologists and fourteen technologists. As part of routine work, every effort is made to produce an integrated report covering all examinations, such as plain radiographic examinations (chest, abdomen, head, neck, breast, bone and other structures), contrast radiological procedures (digestive, urinary and respiratory tracts), CT, MRI, RI, PET, angiography and interventional radiology (IVR), mainly transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE).
The number of cases examined in 2000 is
shown in the table below. We have noted that the main diagnostic modalities
for several cancers have been shifting from plain film to CT and MRI.
Various conferences are routinely held in our division, including teleradiologic, pre- and postoperative conferences.
Research Activities
Our division
has been developing a system of multi-slice helical CT with the support of
the Comprehensive 10-year Strategy for Cancer Control and the new 10-year
Strategy for Cancer Control. The prospective study of detecting small tumors
in biliary tract and pancreas, using multi-slice helical CT is ongoing.
Multi-slice helical CT is also applicable to screening of lung cancers. A feasibility study is now ongoing in cooperation with the thoracic oncology groups at the National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH) and the Anti-Lung Cancer Association.
Using an exclusive optical fiber line between
the Tsukiji and Kashiwa campuses, regular and optional image conferences have
been held.
By extension
of this network, these conferences have been opened to other cancer centers,
as well as other national hospitals.
By using
the recent advancement of computer graphics, our division has achieved great
success in obtaining three-dimensional displays of the internal body, based
on imaging data from multi-slice helical CT and MRI. This is useful for planning
surgery or radiotherapy, for doctors training, and for patient education.
Full-Field
Digital Mammography (FFD-MMG) is being developed. Sixty-three women who simul-taneously
underwent FFD-MMG, FCR(Fuji Computed Radiography)-MMG and film-screen mammography
(FS-MMG) were studied. The subjects ranged in age from 30 to 79 years with
a mean of 52 years, and included 41 patients with breast cancer. The matrix
size of FFD-MMG was 6400x4800, and the size of 1 pixel was 40m. For FCR-MMG,
the size of 1 pixel was 100m. FFD-MMG was superior to the other 2 methods
in detecting micro-calcifications associated with breast cancer, and provided
favorable outcomes in overall detection of breast cancer.
A new computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system using FCR (Fuji Computed Radiography) mammo-grams was introduced to study computerized detection for breast cancerous mass and micro-calcifications. Also another CAD system for lung cancer using multi-slice helical CT images is being developed. These CAD systems promise to have a great influence on cancer diagnosis as well as on patient care in the near future.
New Developments
1. Two multi-slice helical CT scanners have been introduced. While a patient stops breathing once, it can take mages from chest to pelvis because it has four lines of detectors and is able to get data at a speed of six times from three times in comparison with mere helical CT till now.
2. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanner and baby cyclotron have been introduced. 18F-FDG is made of cyclotron with automatic composition device and accumulates in the tumor when it is given to the vein. 18F-FDG PET imaging is expected the extent diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, the metastasis of lymph nodes in the non-small cell lung cancer, the recurrence diagnosis of colorectal cancer after operation.
|
Number of Cases Examined |
|
|
Plain X-ray examination |
35,871 |
|
Mammography |
1,819 |
|
Fluorography (GI-series, etc.) |
3,054 |
|
CT |
16,063 |
|
MRI |
4,221 |
|
RI |
2,689 |
|
PET |
175 |
|
Angiography |
783 |
|
Total |
64,675 |
(S. NAWANO)
