March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Imagers achieve peak results while cutting gadolinium dose Higher field magnets offer better signal-to-noise and greater sensitivity, making reduced contrast feasible in era of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis H. A. Abella ,Emily Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the 2007 RSNA meeting, Dr. Reza Habibi presented three lower extremity MR angiography images and asked his audience to guess which one had been…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Image Gently alliance seeks to cut pediatric radiation Coalition recommends ways radiologists can spare children from unnecessary exposure in CT imaging H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Be wise. Adjust for size.” That’s the motto of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, a multisociety coalition that aims to raise physicians’ awareness about the need to minimize CT-related radiation…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. High-tech cabinet helps hospitals manage agents Sensors glean information from radiofrequency ID chips embedded in labels of contrast bottles Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VistaTrak looks like a basic cabinet designed to hold bottles of contrast media. Wall-hung and compact, it seems a practical way to keep these bottles handy for use. But mounted to the side of this cabinet is a touchscreen that…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cardiac CT exhibits clinical, cost benefits despite radiation risk Dual-source or 64-slice CT examination proves quick, noninvasive, and effective in triaging patients with low to moderate risk of heart disease CHRISTOPH R. BECKER, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Increasing efforts to screen and diagnose coronary artery disease have used imaging modalities such as catheter angiography, ultrasound, and MRI.…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. 3T MRI enhances knee osteoarthritis management -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An exam that combines 3T MR imaging with clinical assessment could speed up the management of patients with suspected degenerative arthritis of the knee. Disease biomarkers could be identified in half the time—or less—than is currently possible, according to University of California, San Francisco researchers. Dr. Sapna Jain and…
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March 4, 2008 Focused ultrasound excels for prostate cancer therapy H. A. Abella ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Technique may offer alternative to radiotherapy without increasing the risk of serious side effects High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation has long been proposed for the treatment of solid tumors in several organ systems. Advocates say it offers a credible nonsurgical treatment alternative to radiotherapy. Now, HIFU’s value has been…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Echo society issues rules for carotid ultrasound Stenosis of 75% or greater indicates aggressive treatment in consensus statement for clinical pratice H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The American Society of Echocardiography has issued a new consensus statement to aid physicians in interpreting and responding to results of carotid artery ultrasound. The guidelines set stenosis degree of 75% or greater…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Dwindling helium supply may bring black market Cutting CT usage and radiation without over-reliance on MRI proves to be a tricky business Eric Trefelner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a bad idea. This neighborhood reeks more of toe-tags than wingtips.” “Shut up! We both have to score. Don’t wimp out on me.” “But he’s late. I don’t like it.” “Here he comes. Tex, you have the stuff?” “My two best…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Digital chest x-ray CAD helps spot cancerous lung masses Technical refinements improve software’s sensitivity, but definitions of true and false remain tricky H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer aided-detection can boost the accuracy of chest radiography for lung cancer, especially for some inexperienced readers. Although chest CT is the de facto imaging standard for lung cancer diagnosis, many…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Coronary CTA: Can it survive? CMS stirs up hornet’s nest with threat to disallowan option for local Medicare coverage decisions and prohibit cardiac CT angiography for all but trial patients Greg Freiherr ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In a week or two, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will weigh in with its decision on whether to overturn local Medicare coverage of cardiac CT angiography for the…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Coronary CT speed, resolution edge out catheter angiography With its 95% accuracy, practitioners increasingly choose CTA as theimaging modality for suspected or known coronary artery disease CONSTANTINO PEÑA, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The potential benefits of CT angiography have expanded greatly in the 30 years since its introduction. Although imaging of the coronary arteries was a goal from the early…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Copayments turn older women off to mammography Marjorie Preston -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copayments may make financial sense for insurers, but mammographers are appalled that some older women are avoiding routine screening because their Medicare managed-care plans force them to pony up for a portion of the imagingprocedure. Dr. Amal Trivedi and colleagues at Brown University uncovered the pattern as they…
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March 4, 2008 Clinicians press for more standard CD-ROMs Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some clinicians are so discouraged by nonstandard CD-ROMs generated at imaging centers they are calling on the radiology community to improve the way it transfers imaging data to referring physicians. One leading oncologist, Dr. Douglas W. Blayney, medical director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, told Diagnostic Imaging…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Clinical FDG-PET use grows as research moves forward Discoveries chart course toward earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Molecular imaging has been redefined. By expanding its definition to apply to most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures formerly associated with nuclear medicine, diagnostic imaging’s…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. CASE OF THE MONTH K.M. Udo Remmes, Ph.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLINICAL HISTORY A 41-year-old man complained of inconsistent episodes of right shoulder pain for four weeks. He did not remember experiencing trauma before the first expression of symptoms. The patient’s medical history did not document prior disturbances. The orthopedic surgeon suspected the presence of impingement syndrome on the basis of…
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March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cardiologist visits RSNA, a technology wonderland Camel sniffs under tent and likes what it finds, plans to bring fellow camels back next year JIM ADAMS, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’m not sure I actually felt like the proverbial camel with his nose under the tent. But as a cardiologist attending the 2007 RSNA meeting, I definitely did feel different from how I’ve felt at other meetings. I ran into a…
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March 3, 2008 Contrast-enhanced ultrasound improves diagnosis in some liver cancer cases Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Injected contrast improved liver ultrasound sensitivity and specificity in malignant liver lesions, aiding diagnosis in 13.7% of cases in a French study. Researchers concluded that contrast-enhanced ultrasound should be routine practice when considering surgical management of hepatic lesions. Dr. Linda Chami and…
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March 3, 2008 Breast shields, tube current modulation drive down pediatric CT doses H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The combination of tube current modulation and bismuth shields during pediatric chest CT scanning can reduce radiation dose with a minimal impact on image quality, according to a study by researchers from Duke University and the University of Arkansas. Proper implementation of these techniques could be key to safer…
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March 3, 2008 Teleradiology RIS demands quicken pulse Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rising demand for teleradiology-RIS solutions may be the best way to assess the health of teleradiology. One vendor said the call to organize and manage remote reads and reading services is so loud that teleradiology RIS packages are "selling like hotcakes." Conventional RIS solutions evolved to provide radiology departments and imaging centers…
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March 3, 2008 Digital information systems conference focuses on interoperability and workflow University of Rochester department of imaging sciences -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Problems that affect interoperability, workflow, and communications both within radiology and between radiology and other departments in the enterprise will be the focus of the eighth annual Digital Healthcare Information and Management Systems conference this month.…
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