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February 2009 Blog Posts (37)

White House calls for imaging preauthorization in budget plan

February 27, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. White House calls for imaging preauthorization in budget plan By H.A. Abella The Obama administration has sent to Congress a budget that relies on radiology benefit managers to cut imaging utilization costs, mirroring a recommendation issued last summer by the Government Accountability Office. Just like that recommendation did, the budget proposal drew criticism from imaging proponents. The GAO report released in June 2008 confirmed findings of a 2005… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 27, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Comparative effectiveness research could create imaging technology bottlenecks

February 26, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Comparative effectiveness research could create imaging technology bottlenecks By H.A. Abella The $1.1 billion in the economic stimulus plan committed to comparative effectiveness research may be good for weighing the relative merits of medical technologies, but it could slow their adoption and lead to European-style rationing, according to Obama administration critics. Yet the first postinauguration reactions to President Barack Obama's commitment to a… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 26, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Radiologist wins $11.4 million judgment against Kaiser in retaliation case

February 25, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Radiologist wins $11.4 million judgment against Kaiser in retaliation case By Donna Domino and James Brice A dispute involving complaints about poor patient care and charges of political retaliation by Kaiser Permanente Medical Group has led to $11.4 million court judgment for a southern California radiologist. The case ended in December 2008 with a decision by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury favoring Dr. Michael Martinucci. It began as internal… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 25, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Link emerges between pericardial fat and coronary artery disease

February 24, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Link emerges between pericardial fat and coronary artery disease By James Brice Just as arterial calcium predicts coronary artery disease, the presence and extent of fat accumulations around the heart may indicate the presence of atherosclerosis. Dr. Hwan Seok Yong and colleagues at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul have established a correlation for the first time between the presence of pericardial adipose tissue and coronary atherosclerosis in… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 24, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Declining mammography rates portend potential preventive care crisis

February 23, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Declining mammography rates portend potential preventive care crisis By H.A. Abella Breast cancer screening rates among young premenopausal women are declining, according to a study on mammography use from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mammographers worry that the trend could lead to the erosion of screening services and of preventive care in general. …

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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 23, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

ACR Case in Point for Week of 2-23-09

This week, the ACR offers you five new and challenging cases from some of the nation's leading academic radiology institutions to test your knowledge and diagnostic skills. This week's cases are listed below.

Preview of Cases and Links to the ACR Webpage

Monday, February 23: 21-year-old woman with tender, bilateral neck masses

Tuesday, February 24: A 21-year-old woman with no significant medical… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 23, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Ultrasound proves just as useful as CT for detecting free air

February 20, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Ultrasound proves just as useful as CT for detecting free air By Rebekah Moan Japanese researchers have established by studying nearly 500 patients that ultrasound is just as useful as CT in diagnosing intraperitoneal free air in patients suffering from abdominal pain or acute injury. After blunt trauma, it is important to diagnose gastrointestinal perforation, especially in the peritoneal cavity. In the U.S., CT is used almost exclusively for the workup of… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 20, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Cardiac MR measures right ventricular benefits of sleep apnea treatment

February 19, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Cardiac MR measures right ventricular benefits of sleep apnea treatment By H.A. Abella Cardiac MR can demonstrate the effects of airway pressure therapy in the hearts of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. In the first study of its kind, researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center found that it could document therapeutic benefits on structure and function to the heart's right side. …

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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 19, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Hospitals lose out when imaging moves to private offices

February 18, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Hospitals lose out when imaging moves to private offices By Rebekah Moan Use of noninvasive diagnostic imaging rose 63% at private imaging facilities between 1996 and 2006, suggesting that hospitals lost a business opportunity, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Dr. David C. Levin, former chair of radiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and colleagues examined nationwide Medicare Part B… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 18, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Functional MRI boosts early staging of cervical cancer

February 17, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. By H.A. Abella Diffusion-weighted MRI added to standard T2-weighted scans can help spot cervical cancer in its early stages. A preliminary study from the Institute of Cancer Research in London determined that DWI can spot tumors missed by T2 imaging and bolster management options for women who wish to preserve reproductive organs. During the past half-century, the rate of deaths linked to cervical cancer has been cut in half in many countries that have… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 18, 2009 at 7:32am — No Comments

Mo-99 production resumes at troubled European isotope reactor

February 17, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Mo-99 production resumes at troubled European isotope reactor By Paula Gould The High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, is back online after its lengthy unscheduled closure, following special approval from the Dutch Council of Ministers. The decision should allow supplies of molybdenum-99 to stabilize after six months of periodic shortages and avert an immediate supply crunch. Both other sites in Europe that produce Mo-99 are currently closed for… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 17, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Radiology and Radiologist Job Markets - Forecast and Advice for Tough Times - An Editorial by Jennifer

radRounds (NEW YORK) -- With talk of the stimulus package, banks going into bankruptcy, job losses daily, and jobmuch more doom and gloom in the headlines for our economy... made me wonder. Are we safe in healthcare? For that matter, is radiology safe? What does the downturn in the economy mean for radiology and radiologists?

For this article, I talked with residents, fellows, and attending level radiologists (in private and academic practices) and one thing is clear -- there is much… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 15, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

ACR and New York Dept. of Health to Distribute Free High-Tech Mammography Education Tool to NY Facilities

CD-based Product Helps Doctors Sharpen Life-saving Mammography Skills Online Rather Than on Patients

Reston, Va. — The American College of Radiology (ACR) and the New York State Department of Health have partnered to distribute 1,500 copies of the College’s Mammography Case Review (MCR4) educational CD-ROM free of charge to physicians in approximately 600 ACR-accredited mammography facilities throughout New York state.

Mammography Case Review (MCR4), a self-evaluation… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 14, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Image Gently Campaign Expands Into Physicians Offices With Parent Education Tools

New Brochures and Record Card Help Educate Parents and Keep Track of Their Children’s Exams

Reston, Va. -- Continuing its efforts to raise awareness about opportunities to lower radiation dose used in pediatric imaging exams, the Image Gently™ campaign has developed new materials to educate parents about medical imaging and to help them track their child’s past imaging exams. Pediatricians and other physicians are encouraged to download the materials from the Image Gently web site,… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 13, 2009 at 7:50am — No Comments

iPhone CT Scan - by Radiology Art

Here is a great image of an iPhone CT scan by Radiology Art Website. Nice work!

Now can you identify all the components? Please visit Radiology Art to check out more interesting objects that have been beautifully scanned and reconstructed artfully and scientifically.

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 12, 2009 at 10:52pm — No Comments

Cardiac CT pegs athletes at risk for sudden death

By James Brice February 10, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging Multislice CT angiography can save lives by identifying occult congenital cardiac anomalies and disease that could lead to sudden cardiac death among competitive athletes. Fans may remember the tragic death of college basketball star Hank Gathers in March 1990. The presumed first choice in the impending National Basketball Association draft choice staggered, collapsed, and died in a few seconds during a nationally televised… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 10, 2009 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Auntminnie Founder and Pioneer Radiologist Dr. Phillip Berman MD - In Memoriam

Dr. Phillip Berman, a luminary radiologist, entrepreneur, and physician has passed away this past Sunday, February 8th 2009 from lung cancer. Dr. Phillip Berman is known as a radiologist and also the founder of well known radiology portal Auntminnie.com. Not only was he a great radiologist but he was also a successful physician-entrepreneur! Auntminnie was one of the first radiology portals started in 1999. Auntminnie was founded by Dr. Berman despite its founding during the dot com bust in… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 10, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

PET/CT picks up another 20% of lesions not found on chest CT alone

February 9, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. By Rebekah Moan Fusion PET/CT detects an additional one-fifth of active lesions from the supraclavicular notch to the adrenals that are not found on chest CT alone, according to a retrospective study. Though PET/CT has been proven to be more sensitive than chest CT alone in detecting some types of cancer, chest CT is still among the first exams prescribed to patients with a known or suspected malignancy, said author Dr. Jean-Charles Vinet, a radiology… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 9, 2009 at 6:30pm — No Comments

radRounds Leaderboard now features the top case contributors!

Take a moment and see who are the top case contributors on radRounds - our new leaderboard is now up. Congrats to them!

Visit our Leaderboard to see who is leading the pack.

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 8, 2009 at 1:25pm — No Comments

Radiology Podcast Directory - Now Open - Feeding a Radiologist's iPhone, iPod, or iPod Touch!

radRounds has created a radiology podcast directory in response to member request. We aim to grow this radiology-focused directory with both your recommendations and also with more medical imaging related podcasts or vodcasts being developed by various radiology publications and radiology societies. Please let us know if you want to add or make a suggestion to the directory. You can visit our new radiology podcast directory by visiting this… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on February 7, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments