March 19, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. ‘Detection’ takes on new meaning at Madoff-connected radiology center By James Brice A small part of the answer to the question about what happened to the $65 billion bilked from investors in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme may lie in a Hoboken, NJ, diagnostic imaging service. Ruth Madoff, wife of the disgraced New York financier, purchased a 21.25% share in Hoboken Radiology five years ago, according to Bloomberg News. Madoff is one of nine investors who own…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 19, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 18, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Cognition-enhancing modafinil shows addictive properties By James Brice Students may think they are getting smarter from the cognitive boost possible with prescription drug modafinil. They need to learn, however, that claims about its lack of serious side effects are wrong. A National Institutes of Health study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2009;301[11]:1148-1154) used PET to demonstrate that modafinil can be…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 18, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 16, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Groups challenge plan to slash imaging technology payments By H.A. Abella Access to Medical Imaging Coalition, a partnership among various professional and trade political interests, has rebutted a proposal by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to change the formula for calculating practice expense relative value units for advanced imaging exams. Coalition members argue that MedPAC's plan is based on flawed information. They point to an independent…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 16, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 13, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Second look at x-ray, CT exams could reduce diagnostic errors By James Brice Simple physician checklists, diagnostic decision-support systems, or second looks at medical imaging exams could help to reduce the estimated 40,000 to 80,000 hospital deaths in the U.S. from diagnostic errors. Writing for the March 11 Journal of the American Medical Association, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine physicians Dr. David Newman-Toker and Dr. Peter Pronovost…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 13, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 12, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from SIR: Interventionalists assess fluorescing stem cells to treat peripheral vascular disease By H.A. Abella Using biotechnology developed from fireflies and seaweed, Johns Hopkins researchers are developing radiopaque stem cells for targeted delivery of therapy in patients with peripheral arterial disease. The technique may allow guidance and tracking of stem cell injections meant to grow new blood vessels and offer a way to confirm therapy response.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 12, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 11, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Simple solution could cut long MRI wait times in Canada By H.A. Abella Referring physicians and MR imaging centers in Canada could substantially reduce wait times by sticking to standard rules dictating scanning priorities and appropriate clinical indications. Trouble is, according to a study from the University of Calgary, those guidelines already exist but few pay heed. As the U.S. enters its first serious debate on healthcare reform in more than a decade,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 11, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 10, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Imaging checklist holds key to hepatocellular carcinoma prediction By Paula Gould Mountaineering metaphors provided the framework for Sunday's Josef Lissner honorary lecture: Ode to the liver. "The liver, in my opinion, is for radiologists what the Matterhorn is for alpinists. It is a sort of litmus test for measuring your skills," said Prof. Carlo Bartolozzi, chair of radiology at the University of Pisa in Italy. Bartolozzi began by…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 10, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 9, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Correct modality choice proves essential in head and neck trauma By Philip Ward CT and MRI have a vital part to play in cases of head and neck trauma, but it is important to know which modality to use under the clinical circumstances, according to speakers at Friday's opening session of the minicourse on major trauma. CT has high sensitivity for mass effects, ventricular configuration, bone injuries, and acute hemorrhage, and it is rapid,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 9, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 6, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Healthcare consumers receive dose of Image Gently By H.A. Abella The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has developed a new set of Image Gently brochures for distribution in physicians' offices to help parents appreciate the risks and benefits of medical imaging and to track their children's imaging histories. The initiative adds a new dimension to the alliance. Since its formation in January 2008, the alliance has reached out to technologists,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 6, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 6, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Studies suggest new value for digital breast tomosynthesis By John C. Hayes Digital breast tomosynthesis was found to be superior to 2D digital mammography for determining tumor boundaries, a value at a time when more women with breast cancer are choosing breast conservation therapy, according to a study presented Friday. Another study concluded that tomosynthesis can be combined with standard 2D breast imaging to provide a more complete scan.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 6, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 5, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. New payment formula proposes Medicare cuts for high-tech imaging By James Brice A new formula proposed by the influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for calculating practice expense relative value units could cut technical payments for MRI, CT, and PET from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by as much as 44%. In its annual report to Congress, MedPAC recommended doubling the assumed utilization rate for calculating practice expense RVUs for the…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 5, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 2, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Risks outweigh benefits for low back pain imaging By Greg Freiherr Low back pain is so common a complaint that physicians increasingly are recommending against invasive therapy for any but the most serious cases. This approach has led researchers to back up a step in patient management and crunch the numbers behind the imaging procedures that are done to assess and monitor this condition. It's not good news for radiology. Based on meta-analyses of research…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 2, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 2, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Soaring CT-based radiation exposure points at self-referral By H.A. Abella The U.S. population underwent seven times as much ionizing radiation exposure from medical imaging in 2006 as it did in 1987, mainly from CT, according to a study released at the 2009 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements in Bethesda, MD. Overutilization due to self-referral appears to bear some blame. Findings of the NCRP report No. 160, released March 3, serve as…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 2, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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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…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 26, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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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…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 25, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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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…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 24, 2009 at 2:30pm —
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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 —
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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…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 20, 2009 at 2:30pm —
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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 —
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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…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on February 18, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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