April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Apologizing when things go wrong could backfire Emily Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Googling the words "Sorry works" takes you to a website that exemplifies a movement for apologies and disclosure to patients, plus upfront compensation after adverse medical events. At www.sorryworks.net, physicians are advised that the medical malpractice crisis is actually a customer service issue that has been "miscast…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:00pm —
No Comments
April 1, 2008 A cardiac CT battle is won, but struggle has just begun James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medicare's decision against a national coverage determination for cardiac CT is not the end of conflict for the modality. It is just the beginning. The next battle involves fulfilling the promises the multisociety alliance made to assure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that its acceptance of CCT will not turn into a…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:00pm —
No Comments
March 31, 2008 Ultrasound in fertility monitoring shows most sensitive results on same day as hormone administration Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transvaginal ultrasound examination results predict the ultimate success of in vitro fertilization best when performed on the same day that human chorionic gonadotrophin is administered. Ultrasound is used throughout the course of fertility treatment to assess the reproductive…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 31, 2008 at 11:00pm —
No Comments
March 31, 2008 Preop cardiac stress test hampers timely surgery for hip fracture Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preoperative cardiac stress tests in hip fracture patients lead to unnecessary surgical delays and prolonged hospital stays, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The group suggested that routine stress testing was not necessary, as screening with either dobutamine stress echocardiography or…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 31, 2008 at 11:00pm —
No Comments
March 28, 2008 Hormone therapy reduces mammography’s effectiveness Don Rauf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treating the hot flashes, mood swings, and other symptoms of menopause with hormone therapy combining estrogen and progesterone compromises the diagnostic performance of mammography, according to a report from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Women receiving both hormones had a higher chance of…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 28, 2008 at 11:00pm —
No Comments
March 27, 2008 Unique JavaScript embeds cine stacks in teaching files Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attempts to relieve restrictions on teaching file systems that can use only static images have generally failed to achieve simplicity. A new paper introduces a simple method for embedding user-controlled cines into teaching file web pages using JavaScript. "Conventional teaching files, and even dynamic interactive HTML schemes, are…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 27, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 27, 2008 Teleradiology European-style comes with unique risks Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As teleradiology use increases in Europe, more commentators are addressing issues and limitations. One such assessment by Dr. Adrian K. Dixon of the radiology department at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. identifies a number of issues and risks. From a European perspective, teleradiology can be problematical if the remote…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 27, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 26, 2008 Tobacco money financed CT lung cancer screening trial Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The always-controversial International Early Lung Cancer Action Program has been struck a serious blow with news that the trial was funded by a cigarette manufacturer, according to an article in Wednesday's New York Times. The Foundation for Lung Cancer: Early Detection, Prevention & Treatment received $3.6 million from the Vector…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 26, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 26, 2008 Report from SIR: Cryotherapy proves long-term effectiveness in primary renal cancer H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results from two clinical trials demonstrate that cryoablation of renal cell carcinomas is effective at least a year after treatment in nearly all patients with lesions 4 cm or smaller. The studies suggest that cryotherapy could serve as an alternative to surgery. Interventionalist Dr. Christos Georgiades…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 26, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 25, 2008 PET affects treatment in over a third of cancer cases James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A study based on nearly 23,000 patients at 1200 U.S. healthcare facilities has found that FDG-PET or PET/CT led referring physicians to alter their opinion about the optimal treatment for about 37% of cancer patients. The results summarize the first-year experience of the National Oncology PET Registry, an effort that is measuring how…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 25, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 24, 2008 Ultrasound assesses abdominal trauma during helicopter transport Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portable ultrasound has successfully imaged patients being transported to the hospital via helicopter, allowing for early assessment of internal abdominal injuries and fluid in the pericardium. The examiners used standard focused assessment by sonography in trauma (FAST) protocols. Dr. Stefan M. Mazur of Royal Adelaide…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 24, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 24, 2008 Report from SIR: Octogenarians can safely undergo intra-arterial interventions H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tufts University researchers have found that patients aged 80 and older can tolerate intra-arterial diagnostic and interventional procedures, performed in outpatient settings, just as well as younger patients. The myth-busting results could dispel claims that extremely old patients are too frail to undergo…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 24, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 21, 2008 Report from SIR: fMRI predicts response to treatment for liver cancer H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contrast enhancement and metabolic changes detected with functional MR imaging can be used to anticipate the effects of transarterial chemoembolization on primary and metastatic tumors of the liver. Clinical trials from Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University come on the heels of a third study showing that…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 21, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 20, 2008 Panel orders centralized pretrial proceedings in NSF cases Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The discovery process for more than 60 federal lawsuits alleging a connection between cases of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and gadolinium-based MR contrast agents will be consolidated at a single district court in Ohio, according to a U.S. judicial panel. Centralization will accelerate the discovery process and give plaintiffs…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 20, 2008 at 11:30pm —
No Comments
March 19, 2008 Report from SIR: Lytic therapy saves limbs from severe frostbite H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A mix of thrombolytics and antispasmodic drugs is safely taking the chill out of frostbite for Minnesotans caught outside in the state's infamously frigid winter. Preliminary results with moderate success suggest the treatment could help avoid amputations as its application spreads to more icebox states. The findings are…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 19, 2008 at 12:00am —
No Comments
March 19, 2008 New Orleans Habitat for Humanity project beckons to SNM meeting volunteers James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The molecular imaging community will lend a hand to help rebuild New Orleans during a special event June 13 before the start of the 2008 Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting. IBA Molecular, a radiopharmacy chain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, has arranged for a day of volunteer construction help through the New…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 19, 2008 at 12:00am —
No Comments
March 18, 2008 Report from SIR: Mechanical thrombectomy boosts treatment of deep vein thrombosis H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using a clot-busting mechanical device in combination with thrombolytic drugs for the comprehensive treatment of deep vein thrombosis is faster, more effective, and safer than using thrombolytics alone, according to the largest trial to date. Results were released Sunday at the 2008 Society of…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 18, 2008 at 10:00pm —
No Comments
March 17, 2008 Jury finds John Ritter’s doctors blameless in $67 million wrongful death lawsuit Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A radiologist and a cardiologist have been cleared of negligence in the diagnosis and treatment of actor John Ritter, whose family brought a $67 million wrongful death suit against the two physicians. Ritter, 54, died of an aortic dissection in 2003. Two years earlier, radiologist Dr. Matthew Lotysch had…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 17, 2008 at 10:30pm —
No Comments
March 17, 2008 Gigabyte-scale image files avoid bottlenecks with JPEG2000 Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiology is not the only medical discipline struggling to handle massive digital imaging studies. Pathology and cytology may face even more severe problems. Image files produced by microscope scanners are typically on the gigabyte scale. The sheer size of the data is the main bottleneck in the development of digital image…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 17, 2008 at 10:30pm —
No Comments
March 17, 2008 Endoscopic ultrasound identifies pancreatic lesions missed by abdominal CT Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Endoscopic ultrasound identified pancreatic lesions when abdominal CT findings showed only enlarged or prominent pancreas. This finding is a common result of CT scans of the pancreas, but its clinical significance is unclear. One group of researchers that followed up such CT scans using endoscopic ultrasound was…
Continue
Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 17, 2008 at 10:30pm —
No Comments
