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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

Annual Screening with Breast Ultrasound or MRI Could Benefit Some Women

CHICAGO — Results of a large-scale clinical trial presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) provide the first strong evidence of the benefit of annual screening ultrasound for women with dense breasts who are at elevated risk for breast cancer. In addition, the study confirmed that MRI is highly sensitive in depicting early breast cancer.

"We found that annual screening with ultrasound in… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:06am — No Comments

RSNA Awards Gold Medals to Drs. Glazer, Lentle and Levin

CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2009 — Today the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conferred its highest honor, the Gold Medal, upon Gary M. Glazer, M.D., of Stanford, Calif.; Brian C. Lentle, M.D., of Vancouver, B.C.; and David C. Levin, M.D., of Philadelphia, Pa.

In a tradition that originated in 1919, Gold Medals are presented each year to individuals who have rendered exemplary service to the science of radiology and who have received unanimous approval by the RSNA Board of… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:03am — No Comments

Outpatient Disc Treatment Gives Long-Term Back Pain Relief

CHICAGO — A randomized, controlled study comparing standard conservative therapy to a minimally invasive treatment called percutaneous disc decompression for painful herniated disc revealed that while both treatments help patients in the short run, only disc decompression kept patients pain free up to two years later. Results of the study, the first of its kind, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Discs are sponge-like… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 3, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Mammography May Increase Breast Cancer Risk in Some High-Risk Women

CHICAGO — Low-dose radiation from annual mammography screening may increase breast cancer risk in women with genetic or familial predisposition to breast cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"For women at high risk for breast cancer, screening is very important, but a careful approach should be taken when considering mammography for screening young women, particularly under age 30," said Marijke C.… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 2, 2009 at 9:54am — No Comments

Merge Healthcare Building Market Acceptance of Newest “Cloud” Image Management Solutions

Virtual Delivery Method Wins New Customer, Bringing Considerable Efficiency and Cost-Savings to RIS/PACS Deployment

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading health IT solutions provider, today announced the availability of its RIS, PACS and Disaster Recovery solutions that leverage a cloud computing platform to manage a breadth of healthcare information. This scalable software as a service (SaaS) by Merge enables digital imaging enterprises to deploy a… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on December 1, 2009 at 9:14am — No Comments

RSNA 2009: Too Much Physical Activity May Lead to Arthritis

CHICAGO — Middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be unknowingly causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for… Continue

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

RSNA 2009: Smart Phones Allow Quick Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

CHICAGO — Radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a handheld device or mobile phone equipped with special software, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"The goal is to improve the speed and accuracy of medical diagnoses, as well as to improve communications among different consulting physicians," said the study's… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on November 30, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Merge Healthcare and InSite One Expand License Agreement to Include New Solution

A Universal Viewing Tool for “Image-Enabled” Health Information Exchange (HIE) Solutions

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ:MRGE), announced today that InSite One, a leading service provider of medical data archiving, storage, and disaster-recovery solutions, has expanded its contract with Merge to provide a universal viewing solution for their InDex® archiving services. “We are excited about joining forces to bring new InDex® solutions into additional verticals… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on November 29, 2009 at 6:07pm — No Comments