The members of the thoracic division have been at the forefront of the initial implementation phase of the department Image Management and Communication System (IMACS). All bedside radiography at the medical center is now digital and images are sent electronically from the intensive care units and inpatient floors to the chest reading room workstations for soft-copy interpretation. Digital chest radiographs are also routinely routed from outside satellite locations to the chest reading room with a goal to provide "on-line" interpretations to the degree possible. Subsequent phases of implementing the IMACS will result in a near total conversion to digital imaging for chest imaging services.

Clinical programs within the Thoracic Division are comprehensive. The department is equipped with cutting-edge technology and the newest imaging applications are frequently introduced and studied for effectiveness by division faculty members. In addition to standard CT studies of the lungs for infection and cancer, high-resolution CT (HRCT) studies of the lungs for diagnosis and evaluation of treatment effectiveness for diffuse lung disease are now routine. For example, HRCT is being used to quantify emphysema, a capability that has improved the ability to plan the optimum treatment of patients. This includes selection of candidates for lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplantation. HRCT is also being used to diagnosis specific types of diffuse lung disease such as pulmonary fibrosis, and to judge the stage of the disease for prognosis and treatment planning. Referrals of patients for CT angiography of the aorta are now common for the diagnosis of dissection and for surgical planning for aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta. Recent introduction of the newest CT technology using multi-detector array scanning has improved resolution and scanning speed. Patient breathing artifacts are minimized resulting in improved diagnostic capability in the sickest of patients. As a result of this new capability, new applications for CT are being introduced. Many patients are now candidates for CT pulmonary angiography for the diagnosis of acute and chronic pulmonary embolism. Delayed scanning of a few minutes is performed as part of the same examination to detect thrombi within veins of the legs and pelvis. Studies of patients after blunt trauma can now include the aorta to evaluate for transection injury, thus avoiding the time, cost and risk of invasive catheter aortography in many patients.