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December 2009 Blog Posts (45)

Jehovah’s Witnesses have no religious objections to IR procedures

(DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING) -- A group of radiologists from Boston Medical Center is using interventional techniques to treat bleeding Jehovah’s Witness patients. The Jehovah’s Witness (JW) movement was established by Charles Russell in Pennsylvania in the 1870s and now has six million followers worldwide. Issues with blood transfusions were first described in the July 1945 edition of The Watchtower, the movement’s official publication. Followers believe ingestion of blood can result in loss of… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 15, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

Coronary calcium scoring can be trusted to guide cardiac test selection

Coronary artery calcium scanning predicts the risk of myocardial infarction and sudden death accurately enough to guide the selection of diagnostic tests for symptomatic patients, according to a multicenter prospective study. The Early Identification of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Noninvasive Imaging Research (EISNER) study, led by Leslee J. Shaw, Ph.D., at Emory University in Atlanta, also indicates the multislice CT-based calcium tests can be used without triggering unnecessary exams or… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 14, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

ACR Case in Point: Preview of Cases for week of December 14th

http://caseinpoint.acr.org/

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 14, 2009 at 8:16am — No Comments

IR urges moratorium on vertebral compression fracture interventions

(DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING) -- Interventional radiologists should refrain from performing either kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty unless the procedure, intended mostly for the management of pain from vertebral compression fractures, is done in the context of clinical trials. Dr. David F. Kallmes, an interventional radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, came to this conclusion after analyzing reams of data that nonetheless have been deemed inconclusive. The clinical practice should resume only… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 13, 2009 at 9:24am — No Comments

New Study Finds Men and Women May Respond Differently to Danger

CHICAGO — Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activation have found that men and women respond differently to positive and negative stimuli, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Men may direct more attention to sensory aspects of emotional stimuli and tend to process them in terms of implications for required action, whereas women direct more attention to the feelings… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 13, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Win a Free Kindle! - Please Complete radRounds Survey!

Dear radRounds Member,

Thank you for participating in the radRounds Survey powered by CMPMedica. We are conducting a survey to learn more about the needs of the radRounds membership and practicing radiologist / medical imaging professional. As a token of our appreciation, your name will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon Kindle (a $259 value) once you have completed the survey.

Please be assured that all answers are confidential and will be used only in combination… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 11, 2009 at 12:03am — No Comments

Clinical PET Cast premieres on iTunes - Educational Podcast is a Resource for Radiologists and Medical Professionals

MIMvista Corp., a leading global provider of medical imaging and fusion software, today announced their sponsorship and launch of Clinical PET Cast, hosted by Peter Faulhaber, MD.

Dr. Faulhaber is Director of Clinical PET at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Associate Professor of Radiology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a nationally recognized pioneer in clinical PET with thirty years experience in the field. Each podcast in the series… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 10, 2009 at 2:18pm — No Comments

Special Ultrasound Accurately Identifies Skin Cancer

CHICAGO — High-frequency ultrasound with elastography can help differentiate between cancerous and benign skin conditions, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"High-frequency ultrasound with elastography has the potential to improve the efficiency of skin cancer diagnosis," said lead author Eliot L. Siegel, M.D., vice chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 10, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Childhood Lead Exposure Causes Permanent Brain Damage

CHICAGO — A study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate brain function revealed that adults who were exposed to lead as children incur permanent brain injury. The results were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"What we have found is that no region of the brain is spared from lead exposure," said the study's lead author, Kim Cecil, Ph.D., imaging scientist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 9, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

CMS Delays Referring Physicians’ PECOS Enrollment Requirement

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced through a listserv message that the Medicare enrollment requirement for referring or ordering physicians is delayed until April 5, 2010. This rule requires ordering or referring physicians to enroll in the Medicare program by registering in the Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System (PECOS), which was initially planned to be implemented on Dec. 31, 2009. CMS believes that the delay would provide enough… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 8, 2009 at 7:56pm — No Comments

FDA Issues Interim Recommendations Regarding Brain CT Perfusion Imaging

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- FDA Issues Interim Recommendations Regarding Brain CT Perfusion Imaging

As part of an ongoing investigation into cases of excess radiation during CT perfusion imaging of the brain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an initial safety notification in October after learning of 206 patients who had been exposed to excess radiation in Los Angeles over an 18-month period.

Since then, the FDA, working with state and local health authorities, has… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 8, 2009 at 7:55pm — No Comments

Image Sharing Demonstration Includes Dose Monitoring to Improve Patient Safety

CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2009 — The Image Sharing Demonstration at RSNA 2009 will encompass methods for sharing images, reports and related information for the improvement of patient care in radiology. The demonstration features patient control of documented medical history through individual accounts in electronic health record systems and improvements in patient safety made possible through use of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE®) Radiation Exposure Monitoring (REM)… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 7, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Targeted breast ultrasound of suspicious areas of the breast, including lumps, is a safe, reliable and cost-effective alternative to invasive biopsies for women under age 40

CHICAGO — Targeted breast ultrasound of suspicious areas of the breast, including lumps, is a safe, reliable and cost-effective alternative to invasive biopsies for women under age 40, according to the findings of two studies presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"By performing high-quality breast ultrasound, we can reduce the number of expensive and avoidable invasive diagnostic procedures in young women," said senior author… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 6, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Overweight Children May Develop Back Pain and Spinal Abnormalities

CHICAGO — Being overweight as a child could lead to early degeneration in the spine, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"This is the first study to show an association between increased body mass index (BMI) and disc abnormalities in children," said the study's lead author, Judah G. Burns, M.D., fellow in diagnostic neuroradiology at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City.

In this… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 5, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c., Named RSNA President

CHICAGO — Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c., was named president of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors today at the Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Hricak, chairman of the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, is currently a professor of radiology at Cornell University Medical College, as well as an attending radiologist at Memorial Hospital in New York City.

As RSNA president, Dr.… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Burton P. Drayer, M.D., Named RSNA President-Elect

CHICAGO — Burton P. Drayer, M.D., was named president-elect of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors today at the Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Drayer is currently executive vice president for Risk at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and the Dr. Charles M. and Marilyn Newman Professor and chairman of the Department of Radiology (1995-present) at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He also served as president of The Mount Sinai… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

George S. Bisset III, M.D., Named RSNA Chairman of the Board

CHICAGO — George S. Bisset III, M.D., was named chairman of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors today at the Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Bisset is professor of radiology and pediatrics, as well as staff radiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., where he has served as vice chairman of the Department of Radiology since 1995 and is presently serving as interim chairman for the department. As of April 2010, Dr. Bisset will… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Beverage Can Stay-Tabs Pose Swallowing Risk

CHICAGO — Three decades ago, a study revealed that beverage can pull-tabs were being swallowed by children, prompting a switch by U.S. manufacturers to stay-tabs. But a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) found that the new tabs are still potentially unsafe.

"One of the driving factors leading the change in beverage can construction in the U.S. was to eliminate inadvertent swallowing of the pull-tab and potential related… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:36am — No Comments

Elastography Reduces Unnecessary Breast Biopsies

CHICAGO — Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

When mammography yields suspicious findings, physicians often use ultrasound to obtain additional information. However, ultrasound has the potential to result in more biopsies because of its relatively… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:35am — No Comments

MRI Helps Detect Life-Threatening Pregnancy Complication

CHICAGO — A study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) revealed that MRI is a highly accurate means of identifying placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening and increasingly common condition that is the leading cause of death for women just before and after giving birth.

"Due to the increase in cesarean sections and other surgeries that leave scarring on the uterine wall, coupled with women giving birth later in life, the… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments