Annual Radiology meeting successfully concludes in Dubai today

Dubai – United Arab Emirates: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the 4^th edition of Annual Radiology Meeting – ARM concluded on a high note today at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, after 3 days of promising and in-depth discussions on a range of critical topics related to the field of radiology. Held under the theme ‘Patients First – Back to Basics’, ARM attracted over 1700 visitors and particpants from the region and abroad, focusing on the most recent advances in diagnostic imaging, key trends and practices in the industry and how new breakthrough technologies are impacting the future of radiology practice.

On the third and final day, radiology experts attending ARM 2019 conference covered a number of important topics in radiology such as ‘Invasive Duct Carcionoma of the Breast in Man: Case Report’, ‘Pearls and Pitfalls of Mammography’, ‘Imaging of Osteoporosis’, ‘Emergency Ocular Ultrasound’, ‘Lung Cancer Screening with Low Dose CT in the UAE’, ‘Imaging in Peripheral Nerve Entrapment’ and ‘Imaging Muscle Injuries – Classification Systems and Case Studies Around the Adult Hip’ to name a few.

Chest Imaging Seminar Program 2019:

Meanwhile, diagnostic imaging specialists specifically focused on the ‘Chest Imaging Seminar Program 2019’ discussing a number of topics including ‘Lung Cancer Screening: Risk Prediction Models’, ‘Thinking Outside of Chest: Extrathoracic Findings’, ‘Pulmonary Infections for General Radiologists: Pearls and Pitfalls’, ‘Lecture 1: Imaging of Congenital Lung Malformations in 2019’ and Lecture 3: Pediatric Mediastinal Masses: Practical Approach to Diagnosis’ to name a few.

While speaking about his participation, Prof. Dr. Edward Lee, said, “The 4^th Annual Radiology Meeting featured a rich conference agenda and the program is getting better and better every year.  In my session, Pediatric Mediastinal Masses: Practical Approach to Diagnosis’, I spoke about how Pediatric mediastinal masses are common and radiologists need to know the practical way to image and diagnose them. Understanding characteristic imaging findings are the key component to make the accurate diagnosis which can lead to optimal pediatric patient care.”

Prof. Dr. Lee further stated, “The advent of new technologies in radiology such as MRI with new techniques and fast imaging without sedation as well as motion corrected sequences are currently receiving a lot of attention because they are particularly suited for infants and young children who cannot follow instruction. Pediatric diseases are different from the ones that occur in adults. Therefore, clearer understanding becomes particularly important and this requires dedicated pediatric radiologists. More importantly, dedicated pediatric radiologists who know specific imaging techniques that are needed to optimally image infants and children are extremely crucial so that correct diagnosis leading to optimal pediatric patient care can be achieved.”

Commenting on the occasion, Philippe Gerson, ISRRT Treasurer, Vice President AFPPE, Director of paramedical staff, Hotel Dieu Hospital, France, said, “My presentation ‘ISRRT World Radiographers associations past, present and future’ covered many critical aspects of radiographer’s professional activities including a key focus on CT, MRI, management, risks and quality assurance. In many countries, there is an ongoing debate about the need for versatile radiographers who are well-adept in all specialties including Cardiovascular interventional radiography, Computer Tomography, MRI, Mammography, Sonography and Quality Management and at the moment it is quite difficult to find such radiographers. As versatility in various disciplines of radiology is greatly in demand, specialized training is proving to be highly necessary and indispensable for radiographers.”

He added, “With the rate of technology innovation and advances taking place in the field of radiology, conferences and annual gatherings like the Annual Radiology Meeting are essential for knowledge and skill transfer, education and training for radiographers. More importantly, technology adoption is generally easier for radiographers, as most manufacturers develop new machines based on their ergonomic aspects and how conducive it is to radiographers both physically and intellectually. We must certainly not forget that all the latest innovations in technology are necessary and interesting for us professionals in radiology but they should finally be beneficial for patients, who are the end users.”

On his part, Dr. Hemant Patel, National President (IRIA), Director and Consultant Radiologist and Professor, India, said, “ARM conference agenda is an excellent medium to keep radiologists informed about the latest advances from a variety of subspecialties in radiology. It would provide a variety of educational material presented by subject experts from every radiology subspecialty and related fields. On a parallel note, ARM exhibition is an excellent platform to meet potential vendors and know about newer innovative products and services available in the field of radiology.”

Speaking about his lecture topic, Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), Dr. Hemant explained, “Molecular imaging is not only increasing our understanding of the underlying causes of the disease but also improving the way disease is detected and treated. It helps visualization and characterization of biologic processes at the cellular and molecular level. Molecular imaging technologies are playing an important role in development of screening tools – by providing a noninvasive and highly accurate way to assess at risk populations, developing new and more effective drugs by helping researchers quickly understand and assess new drug therapies and offering personalized medicine in which medical treatment is based on a patients unique genetic profile.”

While delivering a key lecture on ‘Risk Management and Key Performance Indicator in Radiology’, Ahmed Saif Mohamed Al Shuhaimi, Superintendent, Department of Radiology and Molecular Imaging, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, said, “My Presentation was aimed at investigating risk management in radiology, and this was achieved through a thorough assessment of the risk control measures that are used in the radiology department. Medical imaging sustained prompt changes in the last few years, mainly as a result of technology breakthroughs, rise in workload, deficit in workforce and globalization. Risk is considered to be the chance or possibility of incurring loss or of a negative event happening that may cause injury to patients or medical practitioners.”

Mr. Ahmed Saif added, “Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have led to speculation that AI might one day replace human radiologists. Researchers have developed deep learning neural networks that can identify pathologies in radiological images such as bone fractures and potentially cancerous lesions, in some cases more reliably than an average radiologist. However, Electronic-based technologies are just tools and our focus is only on how these electronic systems can enhance practice convenience and efficiency or lower local radiology operational costs. There are significant consequences to the adoption of electronic technologies that go well beyond such provincial considerations. These consequences can dramatically influence the role of the radiologist in patient care in the next millennium.”

It is worth mentioning here that the Dedicated Radiographers Session (DRS) concluded on the 2nd day at ARM, which explored many scientific topics for radiographers such as ‘Updates on Breast Imaging’, ‘CT Angiography Techniques and Innovative Approach’, ‘Basic Quality Principles for MR Imaging’, ‘Imaging Cardiac Structure and Function with MRI’, ‘Key Performance Indicators within Radiology’ and ‘Multiphase CTA in stroke management’ to name a few. 

Key Workshops & Scientific Activities:

On the sidelines of the ARM conference, a number of workshops were held to improve the practical base and enhance the clinical expertise of radiologists including ‘The Power of Collective & Artificial Intelligence in radiology’, ‘Surgical Planning and Radiology’, ‘Clinical value of Canon AI & Informatics for collaborative imaging – now, challenges and future’, ‘BioMind – AI applications for Neurological Disorders’ and ‘Advanced Lung Imaging (Lung Analysis – Bronchoscope)’.

Additionally, a number of scientific activities and competitions during the conference were greatly helpful in improving the knowledge base of industry professionals. While the poster presentation competition offered participants the opportunity to present their case studies on various topics related to radiology, the Emirates Radiology Cup for Best Case Research provided residents a platform to showcase their research work.

Radiology Business Hub:

Meanwhile, the all new and exclusive Radiology Business Hub, presented key decisions makers, buyers, industry professionals and business leaders from various government and private sectors the opportunity to engage in pre-scheduled business meetings and provided them a chance to explore opportunities of expanding their businesses in the UAE and the region.

Key technologies at ARM 2019:

ARM exhibition witnessed the presence of leading brands in radiology who showcased a number of new technologies such as ‘Display Hitachi U/S Demo, EBM Display & Gurbet Injector Demo’, ‘Display LCD Screen containing Demo System to demonstrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) system’, ‘Lemer pax, related to Nuclear medicine and radiation safety, an introduction to the UAE’, ‘EIXO 12 MP LED Diagnostic Monitor’, ‘New PACS Version G7’, ‘Erler Zimmer Models and Sectra Table’ and ‘PaxeraAI, an introduction in the UAE’ to name a few.

Annual Radiology Meeting – ARM in Dubai is annually organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding with the support of Radiology Society of the Emirates (RSE), Radiographers Society of Emirates (RASE), European Congress of Radiology, Radiological Society of Saudi Arabia (RSSA), Jordanian Radiology Society (JRS), Kuwait Radiology Society (KRS), International Society of Radiographers & Radiological Technologists (ISRRT) and UIBC.  ARM is sponsored by Canon Medical Systems, Siemens Healthineers, Fujifilm, GE Healthcare, Infinitt Healthcare, AGFA Healthcare and Paxerahealth.

© Press Release 2019