In this themed issue of BJR, we focus on the crucial field of emergency imaging, from acute patient scenarios requiring rapid diagnosis to mass casualty incidents, as well as the organizational and technological advances being made in this area.
This is a burgeoning area of clinical interest which has gathered much attention over the past few years, especially in the wake of several high-profile mass casualty incidents and the co-ordinated efforts of the healthcare professionals involved. I think it is very timely to highlight some of the key topics in this field with a series of comprehensive articles from leaders in the field.
From reviews covering the use of advanced imaging techniques in the emergency department, ultrasound as a triage tool (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150790, http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150823) and the use of multidetector CT for traumatic brain injury (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150849), acute non-traumatic abdominal pain (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150859), spinal injuries (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150833) and more, to articles on the use of mobile devices for emergency radiology (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150820) and radiation-protection concerns and awareness in the acute emergency setting (http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150868, http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20160003), this issue covers a broad spectrum of key topics in this field.
Today, the major challenge for emergency radiologists is to match the traditional clinical culture of the emergency medicine with the many sophisticated technologies providing a fast and effective contribution in clinical and therapeutic perspective, to have a common language between the emergency physicians and the trauma team, to find human/economical and technical resources for 24/7 coverage and to reduce costs by choosing the appropriate technique for the case.
I hope this collection of themed articles provides a comprehensive overview of where emergency radiology stands now and provides some stimulating opinions and insight on the future direction of this fascinating field of research and clinical practice.