https://medicalxpress.com/diagnostic-radiology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Diagnostic radiology For individuals at risk for knee osteoarthritis, high ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption is associated with higher muscle fat content, according to a study published online April 14 in Radiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ultraprocessed-food-linked-thigh-muscle.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:20:03 EDT news695488982 In a large sample of United States (U.S.) Special Operations Forces personnel, researchers found that a higher prevalence of intracranial aneurysms was independently associated with greater repeated blast exposure. Results of the study were published in Radiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blast-exposure-linked-brain-aneurysms.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:00:03 EDT news695281547 A major multi-site clinical trial co-led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that post-thrombotic syndrome—a common and often painful complication suffered by many people who have experienced blockages of major veins due to blood clots—can be effectively treated with a minimally invasive procedure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-simple-procedure-relieves-painful-complications.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:40:08 EDT news695035802 A new research study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR) has found that unlike other modalities, linens and disposable supplies account for the vast majority of ultrasound's annual carbon emissions—not equipment energy use. The study, titled "Harmonizing Diagnostic Ultrasound Practice with Environmental Sustainability: A Life Cycle Assessment of Diagnostic Ultrasound in a Single Adult University Hospital," determined that linens (35%) and other single-use supplies (34%) accounted for most of ultrasound's greenhouse gas emissions, whereas production (7%) and energy use (3%) of the ultrasound equipment were minor contributors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-linens-equipment-emissions-dominate-ultrasound.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news694876193 Researchers have identified a new method for analyzing chest CT scans that may help physicians better understand the different forms of sarcoidosis, a complex inflammatory lung disease that affects more than 150,000 people in the United States. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-advanced-ct-scan-analysis-sarcoidosis.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:40:02 EDT news695032261 A research group at Uppsala University has demonstrated that a new method for PET imaging of Alzheimer's disease is effective. The study was conducted in collaboration between the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and the PET Center at Uppsala University Hospital. The findings are published in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pet-scan-pave-alzheimer-diagnostics.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:30:02 EDT news694887301 Researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto have demonstrated a new way to monitor transplanted stem-cell-derived heart cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method allows researchers to visualize where transplanted cells survive over time, which could help scientists evaluate and improve emerging stem cell therapies for heart damage such as those caused by heart attacks. Professor Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng and her team have shown that an imaging platform known as "bright ferritin MRI" can be used to track transplanted human pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes in the hearts of rats for up to eight weeks. The findings are published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mri-technique-enables-term-tracking.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:20:02 EDT news694882911 Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed smart molecules that can both detect and treat cancer, offering a safer and more precise approach to care. The research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, focuses on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a widely used tool that allows doctors to see tumors inside the body. While MRI agents are commonly used for diagnosis, they do not typically play a role in treatment. The NYU Abu Dhabi team designed molecules that combine both functions in a single system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-smart-mri-molecules-cancer.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:20:03 EDT news694796521 Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly one in five cancer deaths—around 1.8 million lives lost each year. One of the main reasons is late diagnosis: in its early stages, the disease appears as extremely small nodules that are difficult to distinguish from healthy tissue, even for experienced radiologists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-doctors-lung-cancer-earlier.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news694779241 A doctor orders an X-ray for a patient with a knee ache. The bones look fine, and the most likely prognosis is arthritis, which occurs when the soft tissue between joints breaks down. But X-rays are much better with hard tissues like bone, which absorb X-rays and turn white in an image, while soft tissue allows most of the X-rays to pass through. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ray-soft-tissue-contrast-agent.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:30:02 EDT news694779661 A look at millions of medical imaging orders finds Americans are waiting twice as long now for their results as they did in 2014, with the biggest surge in wait times occurring recently. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scan-results.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:50:01 EDT news694694094 Ultrasound is widely used in breast cancer diagnosis. While it can effectively show that a lump is filled with fluid—indicating it is unlikely to be cancer—it cannot reliably determine whether a solid mass is benign or cancerous. This often leads doctors to order breast biopsies to confirm the presence of cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-breast-cancer-biopsies-benign-imaging.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT news694699021 Researchers from the Biomedical Data Science Laboratory (BDSLab) at the ITACA Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València have developed a new method based on magnetic resonance imaging that enables objective quantification of the growth of the most aggressive brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma. The study, published in the journal Medical Physics, addresses one of the main clinical challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of this tumor: its high capacity to infiltrate healthy brain tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-biomarker-aggressiveness-glioblastoma.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:20:01 EDT news694362883 Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a first-in-class antibody that targets a protein overexpressed in many cancer types, allowing for the creation of a new radio-theranostic treatment that brings targeted radiation directly to tumor cells. The work is published in Theranostics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-class-radio-theranostic-antibody-b7.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:00:03 EDT news694274725 Sleep helps the brain to cleanse itself—and now this process can be measured in humans entirely noninvasively. Researchers at the University of Oulu have developed a method that allows the increased movement of brain fluids during sleep to be tracked quickly and safely, without the need for injected contrast agents. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-brain-fast-invasive.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:40:03 EDT news694180922 A new editorial by a Uniformed Services University (USU) faculty member calls attention to challenges in breast cancer screening that may disproportionately affect active duty women and have implications for military readiness. An editorial published online March 30, 2026, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, titled "Breast Density Masking and the Need for Precision Screening," authored by Army Col. (Dr.) Danielle Holt, an associate professor of surgery at USU, examines how dense breast tissue—present in nearly half of women eligible for breast cancer screening—both increases the risk of breast cancer and makes the disease more difficult to detect through standard mammography. For women in the military, the issue carries particular urgency. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-surgeon-highlights-breast-cancer-screening.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:30:03 EDT news694189502 When doctors review diagnostic medical scans for lung cancer, they sometimes spot abnormalities unrelated to the lungs. New research shows that some of those abnormalities could be signs of other undiagnosed cancers. The study, led by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health, analyzed lung screening data from more than 26,000 people who took part in the landmark National Lung Screening Trial. This large federal study helped establish computerized tomography (CT) scans as a standard way to screen people at high risk for lung cancer—especially longtime smokers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-unexpected-lung-cancer-ct-scans.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:00:05 EDT news694165434 When Ashley Perlow felt a sharp pain shoot across her chest and into both wrists, she didn't think it could be a heart attack. She was 36, a new mom, and otherwise healthy. At the hospital, blood tests showed signs of a heart attack, but her arteries appeared normal. Now, new research led by clinicians and researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine shows that in cases like hers, using two complementary heart imaging tests can identify the underlying cause of these heart attacks in most patients without coronary artery narrowing, helping guide diagnosis and medical treatment in a condition that often leaves patients without clear answers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-dual-imaging-heart-patients-blocked.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:50:01 EDT news694101762 A new study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that attrition (i.e., exit) from the radiology workforce increased for all subspecialties, but with varying magnitude. The study, published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, was based on all Medicare radiologists who submitted claims between 2014 and 2022 and covered 159,490 radiologist-year observations for 29,770 radiologists practicing as subspecialists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-analysis-attrition-radiology-subspecialty.html Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:30:02 EDT news693484548 New evidence from a Chinese cohort presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2026 shows that one-time low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening can significantly reduce lung cancer mortality in a non–risk based population, including individuals with no smoking history. The findings support reconsideration of current eligibility criteria, which still rely heavily on tobacco exposure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-population-based-lung-cancer-screening.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:10:01 EDT news693835336 The heart's ability to use oxygen efficiently is a critical indicator of its health, but tests to measure this function have drawbacks that can limit their use. A new Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University study found that a new MRI system developed at Cedars-Sinai might overcome this challenge. The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, could one day improve management of heart failure, in which the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body's need for blood and oxygen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mri-aid-early-heart-failure.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:05 EDT news693744361 AI-enhanced single-shot cine MRI produces superior image quality and provides ventricular measurements comparable to conventional cine MRI, according to research published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-mri-boosts-success-patients.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:06 EDT news693640956 A Penn Medicine–led team has developed a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence system that interprets cardiac MRI scans with performance approaching expert clinicians. Trained on more than 300,000 MRI video clips from roughly 20,000 patients, the model can assess heart function and diagnose dozens of diseases using only non-contrast imaging. The work was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-cardiac-mri-scans-expert.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:20:01 EDT news693651601 An international team led by the ITACA Institute at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has developed one of the most comprehensive and detailed structural atlases of the human brain to date. Known as HoliAtlas, it will be particularly useful for the study and early diagnosis of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ultra-high-resolution-mri-powers.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:20:08 EDT news693580322 Neither radiologists nor multimodal large language models (LLMs) are able to easily distinguish artificial intelligence (AI)-generated "deepfake" X-ray images from authentic ones, according to a study published in Radiology. The findings highlight the potential risks associated with AI-generated X-ray images, along with the need for tools and training to protect the integrity of medical images and prepare health care professionals to detect deepfakes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-deepfake-rays-radiologists-ai.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:00:02 EDT news693473221 Nine leading medical societies are calling for updated safety standards in fluoroscopy laboratories, often called "cath labs," where clinicians performing minimally invasive procedures face radiation exposure and orthopedic injuries from heavy protective equipment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-medical-societies-alara-safety-standard.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:00:05 EDT news693467710 No matter the size or severity, wounds on human skin are difficult to monitor while they heal. Biopsies disrupt the wound site and are too invasive for routine, repeated monitoring, and most medical imaging devices that could do the job are large, expensive, and booked up with more pressing diagnostics. Clinicians typically resort to visual inspection or quick measurements of the wound's size over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-powered-imaging-tracks-wound.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:20:05 EDT news693230641 A new X-ray imaging technique could transform how hospitals analyze tissue samples, potentially speeding up diagnoses and improving outcomes for patients, shows a new study led by UCL researchers. The technology, developed in collaboration with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rigaku Americas and Creatv MicroTech, Inc., produces crisp 3D maps of biological tissue without cutting or staining samples, a significant improvement on the conventional process used in histopathology—the process of examining tissue to study, diagnose and treat diseases, particularly cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ray-technique-tissue-diagnosis.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EDT news693068758 Recently, a patient came to the hospital where I work with a persistent cough. Their doctor had ordered a CT scan—a type of imaging that creates detailed cross-sectional pictures of the body's interior—to look for pneumonia or another infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-millions-ct-scans-year-important.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:30:02 EDT news693055021 Heart disease is the leading cause of adult death worldwide, making cardiovascular disease diagnosis and management a global health priority. An echocardiogram, or cardiac ultrasound, is one of the most commonly used imaging tools employed by physicians to diagnose a variety of heart diseases and conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-standard-cardiac-imaging.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:20:07 EDT news692983981