RSNA 2017 Press Releases

Press releases are distributed to the media throughout the week highlighting research presented at RSNA 2017. Several studies have been featured in consumer news outlets, including WebMD, Newsweek, CBS News, BBC News, Boston Globe, United Press International. RSNA's media outreach helps the public gain a greater understanding of radiology and its role in personal healthcare. Press releases were distributed on the following Tuesday presentations:

Fat Distribution in Women and Men Provides Clues to Heart Attack Risk (SSC09‑08)

It's not the amount of fat in your body but where it's stored that may increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes, according to a new study from Massachussetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. The study looked at the differences in fat distribution patterns among overweight and obese men and women and their associated cardiometabolic risk. Researchers recruited 200 young, overweight and obese, but otherwise healthy, men and women of similar age and BMI. The study participants underwent imaging scans to determine body composition and fat quantification. Compared to women, men had higher measures of cardiometabolic risk overall, but ectopic, or deep belly, fat was not significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk in men. Ectopic fat in women was strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk measures.

Weight Loss Through Exercise Alone Does Not Protect Knees (SSJ16‑03)

Obese people who lose a substantial amount of weight can significantly slow down the degeneration of their knee cartilage, but only if they lose weight through diet and exercise or diet alone, according to a new study from University of California, San Francisco. The researcher investigated cartilage degeneration and joint abnormalities over the course of 96 months in 760 overweight and obese individuals who maintained stable weight and who lost weight via differing regimens. Patients were divided into a group of 380 patients who lost weight, and a control group of 380 patients who lost no weight. Cartilage degeneration was significantly lower in the people who lost weight through diet alone or diet and exercise, compared to the control group over the 96 months. Patients who lost the same amount of weight through exercise alone showed no significant difference in cartilage degeneration, compared to the group who lost no weight.

Migraines Linked to High Sodium Levels in Cerebrospinal Fluid (SSG11‑03)

Migraine sufferers have significantly higher sodium concentrations in their cerebrospinal fluid than people without the condition, according to a new study from University Hospital Mannheim and Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. This is the first study to use a technique called sodium MRI to look at migraine patients. The researchers recruited 12 women with history of migraine and 12 healthy women of similar ages to serve as a control group. Both groups underwent cerebral sodium MRI. Overall, sodium concentrations were significantly higher for migraine patients in cerebrospinal fluid regions compared with healthy control individuals.