Imaging and research

Imaging groups together a set of radiological and nuclear medicine methods that help diagnose various diseases not visible from the outside and to follow them over time. The methods used may be based on the use of ultrasound (sonography), X-rays (radiographs and computed axial tomography), magnetic fields (magnetic resonance imaging), and radionuclides (scintigraphic and PET investigations). Radiology and Nuclear Medicine can also help in the treatment of various pathologies with interventional radiology, metabolic radiotherapy, and theragnostics. Images from imaging examinations can be used for research purposes for example to understand what differentiates one disease from another, and to assess risk factors common to the same disease.

Scopes

Clinical research is essential in imaging various pathologies in musculoskeletal, uro-genital, oncology, pulmonary, gynecologic, thyroid, hematologic, pediatric, abdominal, and vascular fields in order to improve diagnosis and make technological updates rapidly available.

In particular, some important questions are sought to be answered including:

  • In the use of ionizing radiation: how can the dose be further reduced? What useful information for patients to date is unused in imaging examinations already performed?
  • In MRI: how can patients' comfort during the examination be improved? What technological upgrades can be applied to improve image quality without increasing examination time?
  • In nuclear medicine: evaluate the possibility of early diagnosis and response to treatment using PET evaluation criteria. PET as a guideline investigation for new therapeutic strategies.
  • In Radiometabolic-Teragnostic Therapy: Radio-receptor therapy-targets for oncological diseases, such as gastro-intestinal/hepatic and prostate.


IIMSI also participates in several national and international research projects, such as:

  • Updating guidelines for gynecologic (e.g., endometriosis and ovarian cancer), prostatic, gastro-intestinal, onco-hematologic, and thyroid diseases.
  • Implementation of various artificial intelligence systems to improve image quality, for example in MRI and PET/CT.

Highlights

The Radiology Clinic of the Imaging Institute of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland (IIMSI) is particularly devoting itself to:

  • Increasing the comfort of patients, adults and children, who have to undergo MRI.
  • Deepen the importance of body composition assessed by imaging examinations in predisposing to certain diseases or complications.
  • To verify and improve MRI sequences that increase image quality without lengthening the duration of the examination.

The Nuclear Medicine Clinic of the Imaging Institute of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland (IIMSI) is devoting itself particularly to:

  • Development and use of new PET tracers and expansion of clinical indications for such imaging.
  • Validation of interpretation criteria and PET protocols in theragnostics.
  • Reduction of therapeutic doses through the use of personalized dosimetry in Teragnostics.

People

Collaborations

  • University of Zurich.
  • University of Geneva.
  • University of Bern.

Contact

Locarno Regional Hospital, La Carità
Via all'Ospedale 1, 6600 Locarno
[email protected]

The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.