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July 2008 Blog Posts (81)

Whole-body PET/CT and 3T MR perform equally well for lung cancer staging

July 31, 2008 Whole-body PET/CT and 3T MR perform equally well for lung cancer staging Don Rauf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No clear winner has emerged in a head-to-head comparison of whole-body FDG-PET/CT and whole-body 3T MRI for non-small cell lung cancer staging. Unenhanced PET/CT proved better for detecting metastatic lymph nodes and soft-tissue involvement, while MR was more sensitive to the presence of brain and liver metastases.… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 31, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Radiologists bemoan limited access to patient data

July 31, 2008 Radiologists bemoan limited access to patient data Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lack of pertinent clinical patient data is a critical element limiting the accuracy of radiologic interpretation. A recent paper addresses radiologists' perceived need for additional clinical patient data, both at the time of interpretation and in follow-up of imaging examinations (J Digit Imaging 2008 May 6 [Epub ahead of print]).… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 31, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Nailing budgets and equipment in tough times

July 31, 2008 Nailing budgets and equipment in tough times Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In uncertain economic times, there is always one sure thing. Prices are more likely to fall than rise. The bulls pull in their horns. Conservatism wins the day. And budgets usually—but not always— drop. Results from a survey by the medical information division of market research firm IMV, however, indicate that hospitals with fewer than 200… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 31, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Proponents praise radiopharmaceutical reimbursement overhaul, with caveats

July 30, 2008 Proponents praise radiopharmaceutical reimbursement overhaul, with caveats H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bexxar and Zevalin have become the poster children of inadequate reimbursement for radiopharmaceuticals. Despite recent Congressional action to freeze their payment rates until January 2010, advocates for these radioimmunotherapic agents say more should be done to support the application of these clinically… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 30, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Osirix for the iPhone!

Imaging carrying your entire PACS system in your pocket. It will also be worth that 2 hour wait for an iPhone if you are a radiologist, perhaps even teleradiologist! Hook up some movie LCD glasses, plug it into your Osirix-enabled iPhone and you can start to dictate out studies anywhere in the world. Check this video out--an official preview of what is to come from Osirix. Watch out MIM (the recently featured radiology system at the WWDC by Steve Jobs @… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on July 30, 2008 at 7:45pm — No Comments

ACR (American College of Radiology) Statement on Imaging Accreditation in the Medicare System

ACR Statement on Imaging Accreditation in the Medicare System

7.30.08

Due to intense advocacy and education efforts by ACR members and staff, as well as those of other organizations, Congress recently overrode a presidential veto and passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) which averted a massive cut in Medicare physician payments. This new law, which due to ACR efforts and others, contains no imaging cuts, requires that medical… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on July 30, 2008 at 3:17pm — No Comments

MRI zeroes in on medial meniscal tears

July 29, 2008 MRI zeroes in on medial meniscal tears H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Studies from Korea and the U.S. show that MR imaging of the knee is a reliable and accurate test for the detection of specific subtypes of medial meniscal tears. Good understanding of MR-depicted anatomic features helps identify false-positive injuries of the menisci and avoid unnecessary surgeries. Radial tears are a common type of medial meniscal… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 29, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

ACR wins contract to accredit government radiation oncology facilities

July 28, 2008 ACR wins contract to accredit government radiation oncology facilities From the American College of Radiology -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a three-year contract to the American College of Radiology to serve as the accrediting organization for 33 VA hospital radiation oncology facilities across the country. The purpose of accreditation is to set quality practice standards and… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 28, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Ultrasound serves as eyes of robotic surgery

July 25, 2008 Ultrasound serves as eyes of robotic surgery Richard Merritt Duke University Office of News & Communications -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robotic tools that could one day perform surgery on battlefields, in space, and at remote locations with minimal human guidance use 3D ultrasound as a key component. Engineers at Duke University call the results of feasibility studies conducted in their laboratory the first concrete steps… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 25, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Contrast-induced nephropathy fears ease

July 24, 2008 Contrast-induced nephropathy fears ease H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ten years of clinical data from more than 30,000 patients suggest the estimated risk of sustaining renal damage from iodinated contrast media may have been blown out of proportion, according to Columbia University researchers. With proper scientific validation, contrast may be used even in patients with renal failure. Iodinated contrast agents used… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 24, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

MRI breast cancer staging proves benefits, shortcomings

July 23, 2008 MRI breast cancer staging proves benefits, shortcomings H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A metastudy by Australian and European researchers indicates that MR staging identifies additional disease in nearly one of five women previously diagnosed with breast cancer. It also suggests that women may undergo more extensive surgeries than originally planned because of false-positive MR findings. Evidence of MRI's value as an… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 23, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Current Issue of Internet Journal of Radiology

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijra/current.xml

Here is the Table of contents for the current issue of Internet Journal of RadiologyOriginal Articles

A Retrospective Analysis of Referral Pattern from General Practitioners for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound to a Tertiary Centre - Surabhi Choudhary, K. Jeypalan, Raj Bhatt.

Reviews

Spectrum Of MRI Findings In Musculoskeletal Tuberculosis: Pictoral Essay - Priya Darshan… Continue

Added by Sumer Sethi on July 23, 2008 at 6:17am — 1 Comment

CT radiation causes implanted devices to malfunction

July 22, 2008 CT radiation causes implanted devices to malfunction James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The FDA cautioned healthcare CT users July 16 that ionized radiation generated during CT exams may cause some implanted and external electronic medical devices to malfunction. Though rare, the incidence of radiation-induced pacemaker and implantable device malfunction has risen with increased multislice CT use, said Dr. Daniel G.… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 22, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

NetMeeting software enhances collaboration with oncologists

July 21, 2008 NetMeeting software enhances collaboration with oncologists Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new use for an old tool has been enlisted to ameliorate some collaboration difficulties. Researchers in the U.K. have adopted Microsoft's NetMeeting, along with a commercial virtual simulation package called ProSoma (Oncology Systems Limited, Shrewsbury), to provide closer collaboration between radiologists and oncologists in… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 21, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

GAO recommends preauthorization to slow explosive Medicare imaging growth

July 21, 2008 GAO recommends preauthorization to slow explosive Medicare imaging growth H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the chagrin of imaging advocates, a Government Accountability Office study has found that preauthorization may be best way for Medicare to slow the rapid growth of outpatient MR, CT, and other high-tech imaging services. The June 2008 report confirmed findings of a 2005 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission study… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 21, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

WID: "We have to new reviews for you"

We have two new reviews for you.

The Tyco Cool-tip RF ablation system. Reviewed by Dr Geoff Hide Consultant musculoskeletal Radiologist. Geoff has reviewed its use for ablation of bone osteoid osteomas.…

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Added by radRounds Radiology Network on July 21, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Radiopaedia section editor positions open!

Hello everyone... Just thought I would let you know that we are accepting applications for section editors at Radiopaedia.org. It is not a huge commitment (1 - 2 hours a week) and looks great on a CV... better than some tiny case report which takes much more time to prepare with no guarantee of publication. Positions available include: - Breast - Chest - CNS - Gastrointestinal - Head and Neck - Musculoskeletal -… Continue

Added by Frank Gaillard on July 19, 2008 at 8:51pm — No Comments

Proponents hail passage of Medicare bill as triumph for physicians, patients

July 17, 2008 Proponents hail passage of Medicare bill as triumph for physicians, patients H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A showdown between President Bush and Congress over Medicare physician payments concluded Tuesday when the House and Senate overrode the president's veto of HR 6331. The aftermath brings relief to physicians until 2009 and could have significant long-term implications for radiologists and imaging practice. The… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 17, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Dawn of the Tera Era

July 17, 2008 Dawn of the Tera Era Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was only a few years after I had bought my first desktop computer in 1983 — a dual floppy with RAM so low I can no longer remember its size — that I watched my next- door neighbor install a memory card on the motherboard of his new PC. This top-of-the-line system had a hard drive with half a megabyte of storage. But the memory card that cost $750 held twice that… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on July 17, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

ACR Response to GAO Imaging Report: No RBMs Needed

ACR Response to GAO Imaging Report: No RBMs Needed

July 15, 2008, Reston, Va. — The American College of Radiology has reviewed the GAO’s report on imaging growth and shares many of the report’s concerns regarding the cost, quality and safety of imaging services. The College agrees with the report’s findings that financial incentives for physicians are a primary driver for the dramatic and costly growth of in-office imaging.

However, the ACR does not support GAO’s… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on July 17, 2008 at 1:49am — No Comments