The Radiology Update

2026-27 Course Objectives

After completing The 2026-76 Radiology Update you should have acquired the knowledge that will better enable you to:

• Develop a structured imaging approach to adult brain tumors that integrates lesion location, morphology, and advanced imaging techniques to refine differential diagnosis and management.
• Understand the principles, clinical applications, and future directions of theranostics in the diagnosis and treatment of oncologic disease.
• Understand biliary system abnormalities and diseases, and relevant imaging methods.
• Examine how healthcare payment policy and market forces are shaping radiology practice ownership and governance.
• Recognize key imaging features of intracranial infections to differentiate bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic etiologies and guide timely management.
• Recognize key nuclear medicine studies used in emergency settings and apply accurate interpretation strategies to support time-sensitive clinical decision-making.
• Enhance knowledge of pediatric trauma imaging, including appropriate CT protocols, radiation safety, and the identification of critical findings in head, spine, chest, and abdominal trauma.
• Identify key provisions in physician employment contracts and apply strategies to avoid common legal, financial, and professional pitfalls.
• Identify key imaging features of major neurodegenerative disorders to improve diagnostic accuracy and guide clinical management.
• Understand the role of conventional nuclear medicine and PET/CT in the evaluation of infection and inflammatory disease.
• Implement standardized terminology and reporting frameworks to improve clarity, consistency, and clinical impact of imaging interpretations. Understand the structure of the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) system and how RVUs, geography, and conversion factors determine physician reimbursement.
• Apply a systematic imaging approach to accurately identify facial fractures, associated complications, and injuries requiring urgent intervention.
• Understand evidence-based patient preparation strategies for FDG PET/CT to optimize image quality, diagnostic accuracy, and clinical interpretation.
• Appreciate the utility and findings of MR and CT imaging in the evaluation of common cardiac conditions.
• Compare ultrasound-guided and stereotactic breast biopsy techniques and apply principles of imaging-pathology concordance to clinical practice.
• Apply contemporary MRI criteria and imaging features to accurately differentiate multiple sclerosis and related demyelinating disorders from common mimics.
• Understand the evaluation, disease distribution, imaging patterns, and diagnosis of parenchymal lung diseases.  Integrate axillary imaging findings and localization techniques to guide staging and surgical management of breast cancer.
• Analyze how cognitive biases influence clinical and financial decision-making and apply strategies to improve judgment under uncertainty.

 All learning objectives above address IOM/ACGME core competencies.