Radiology Asia focuses on using state-of-art imaging to deliver improved clinical outcomes

Bi-annual gathering of regional Radiology professionals will also focus on delivering better value through advanced imaging techniques

Radiology Asia, the region’s only bi-annual conference bringing together medical imaging professionals, healthcare providers, equipment manufacturers, medical academics and scientist communities in the radiology field in South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, will address the rising need for a value-based approach through appropriate utilisation of services.

Jointly organised by SingEx Exhibitions, the Singapore Radiological Society (celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year) and College of Radiologists Singapore, and held in conjunction with the Singapore Congress of Radiology (26^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Singapore Radiological Society and College of Radiologists Singapore), the 2-day conference from 19 – 20 May 2017 at MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO will focus on how practitioners in the medical imaging profession may optimise imaging resources, and deliver better value by contributing to improved medical outcomes.

Themed “Bringing state-of-the-art imaging into clinical practice”, the conference is anticipated to attract close to 800 delegates from all over the world, featuring 50 renowned speakers, 8 workshops, 4 conference tracks covering more than 70 topics, while providing open business platforms for sharing and networking.

THE FUTURE OF RADIOLOGY – HYBRID IMAGING TECHNOLOGY THROUGH PET-MRI SCANS IN DEMENTIA

As medical therapies advance, earlier and more accurate methods of non-invasive diagnosis through imaging have become even more important. One such example is hybrid imaging combining positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Such methods extract the complementary strengths of anatomic depiction by MRI, with tissue function characteristic assessment by PET.

Dementia, a progressively debilitating neuro-degenerative medical condition, has become increasingly common-place in our ageing population. In this medical condition, PET-MRI technology provides volumetric and metabolic information that are useful in the diagnosis of early dementia. Besides enabling evaluation of newer drug therapies in clinical trials, such novel techniques of diagnosis have also found their way into mainstream medical practice, allowing doctors to better treat diseases before significant morbidity ensue.

PET-MRI will be among the various advanced imaging modalities that are covered in the Radiology Asia neuro-imaging conference track in which diagnosis of important diseases like dementia and stroke are covered. In the midst of these discussions, delegates will learn from renowned international experts on the role imaging plays in current clinical practice, and become better equipped to appropriately use imaging technology in their daily work. These are in line with the broader goals of value-based practice, where better health outcomes are the ultimate goal of medical treatments.

THE CENTS OF IMAGING – INAUGURAL CONFERENCE TRACK

A unique conference track entitled “Making Cents of Imaging” directly addressing commercial leaders and imaging equipment vendors in the radiology practice will be introduced at the conference for the first time, where industry trends, technological advances and professional challenges will form part of a suite of wide-ranging business topics that will be covered.

Speakers and moderators comprised of healthcare industry and Radiology leaders from Singapore and other parts of Asia will discuss topics surrounding the business of Radiology in the region, as well as how the practice should adapt to meet future demand for Radiology as a diagnostic service, by employing disruptive technological advancements to increase productivity, through the use of teleradiology and more recently, artificial intelligence.

The business related track also serves to raise vital questions, for example: how should Radiologists add value in their reports to counter the trend of commoditization of the imaging sector? It will be one of four focused content segments that the conference will feature, with the other three covering radiology sub-specialties in diagnostics imaging, radiography / nursing and interventional radiology.

WORKSHOPS IN INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY IN SINGAPORE

Alongside the conference, WIRES (Workshops in Interventional Radiology Education in Singapore) will be another important knowledge-sharing platform featured at Radiology Asia 2017. WIRES will feature one scientific session comprising four conference topics, a lunch symposium jointly held with APSCVIR (Asia Pacific Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology) and four wide-ranging interventional focused workshops that pertain to new and novel methods of minimally invasive treatment of acute ischaemic stroke, aortic disease, and tumour ablation.

Mr Adrian Sng, General Manager of SingEx Exhibitions Pte Ltd, said:

This event epitomises our key strengths in bringing together local, regional and international experts in the medical imaging field, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas and professional knowledge. SingEx is proud to assume our role in the future development of the medical imaging field, in providing a unifying platform for our imaging professionals to constantly stay connected and updated professionally through specialised knowledge sharing platforms.