RSNA 2018 Puts Artificial Intelligence in the Spotlight

OAK BROOK, Ill. (Jan. 23, 2019) — The Radiological Society of North America's 104^th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (RSNA 2018), held in Chicago's McCormick Place from November 25 to November 30, highlighted RSNA's ongoing commitment to fostering research and education in radiology, with special focus on artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the field.

"In keeping with the 2018 theme, 'Tomorrow's Radiology Today,' the meeting showcased a variety of AI applications and emerging technologies that provide our attendees with the tools they need to be leaders in radiology," said RSNA Executive Director, Mark G. Watson.

Advances in machine learning and AI offer a variety of applications that are now being employed in medical imaging with exciting results. RSNA 2018 provided an array of AI sessions and education exhibits, an AI Learning Community, as well as the Machine Learning Showcase. Sponsored by Arterys and Google Cloud and doubled in size for 2018, the showcase allowed attendees to connect with companies to see the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence products, as well as special presentations in the Machine Learning Theater.

The showcase also hosted a recognition session for the awardees of the RSNA Pneumonia Detection Challenge, a machine learning competition requiring teams to develop algorithms to identify and localize pneumonia in chest X-rays. Over 1,400 teams took part in the challenge, and 346 submitted results during the evaluation phase of the competition, with the top prize going to Ian Pan & Alexandre Cadrin.

The National Cancer Institute's Crowds Cure Cancer exhibit returned for its second year. Presented in the Learning Center, the project invited radiologists to annotate clinical images for machine learning research.

Also returning was the RSNA Deep Learning Classroom, presented by NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI). Certified instructors from NVIDIA's DLI were on hand to help attendees learn to write algorithms and improve their understanding of AI technology. The RSNA Radiology Informatics Committee and committee member Bradley J. Erickson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Radiology Informatics Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., were instrumental in development of the curriculum.

RSNA 2018 featured a number of other hot topics in radiology, such as advanced visualization and 3-D printing for medical applications. The 3-D Printing and Advanced Visualization Showcase, sponsored by TeraRecon, highlighted the latest products in 3-D printing equipment and software, as well as advanced visualization products like augmented reality, holography and virtual reality platforms.

Throughout the week at McCormick Place, professional attendees could choose from a wealth of scientific presentations and posters, education courses and exhibits, and plenary sessions. The Discovery Theater hosted a wide range of new programming, including educational presentations, career advice, tutorials on navigating Chicago, performances by local musicians, and an RSNA Diagnosis Live™ competition among residency programs, with Brigham and Women's Hospital taking the trophy.

The technical exhibition was 433,800 square feet and consisted of 723 exhibitors, including 130 first-time exhibitors. The First-Time Exhibitor Pavilion provided a centralized location for attendees to discover exhibitors new to the RSNA annual meeting, while the Start-up Showcase featured emerging companies positioned to bring new products and services to market.

The RSNA 2018 Virtual Meeting offered access to more than 200 live-streamed and on-demand courses from RSNA 2018, as well as plenary sessions and other meeting content. The virtual meeting attracted 6,212 registrants. On-demand access to the Virtual Meeting is available through April 2019.

Official registration for RSNA 2018 totaled 52,985. RSNA 2018's economic impact to the City of Chicago is estimated at $160 million.

RSNA 2019, RSNA's 105^th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, will take place December 1 to December 6 in Chicago. The meeting's theme is "See Possibilities Together."