January 12, 2009 Study faults regulators for relying on ‘reference man’ radiation dose standard By James Brice A study from the Institute for Energy and Environment Research indicates that U.S. radiation exposure regulations and compliance assessment guidelines often underestimate the risk of radiation for women and children because they are based on standards of a "reference man," a hypothetical 20- to 30-year-old white male. At least three federal agencies -- the Environmental Protection…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 12, 2009 at 5:30pm —
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January 9, 2009 Digital mammography interpretation takes longer than film reading By H.A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have confirmed what mammographers have long suspected: Digital screening mammograms may take twice as long to read than film. Understanding all variables could boost or make up for interpretation speed. According to the FDA's Center for…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 9, 2009 at 3:00am —
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January 9, 2009 Digital mammography interpretation takes longer than film reading By H.A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have confirmed what mammographers have long suspected: Digital screening mammograms may take twice as long to read than film. Understanding all variables could boost or make up for interpretation speed. According to the FDA's Center for…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 9, 2009 at 1:00am —
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January 8, 2009 RSNA memories dwell on more than radiology By the Diagnostic Imaging staff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Between the inevitably slow cab rides to and from O'Hare International Airport, the RSNA experience creates indelible memories. Old-timers recall how the world's largest medical meeting was once contained in a ballroom at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel. Newcomers remember their first exposure to world-class radiological…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 8, 2009 at 3:00am —
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January 7, 2009 Proponents call CMS proposed PET coverage decision ‘bittersweet’ By H.A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A proposal by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand coverage of FDG-PET studies elicited mixed reactions among proponents. Though some applauded the move, others, particularly PET researchers, felt that it fell short of expectations. CMS proposes to cover one FDG-PET study for Medicare beneficiaries…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 7, 2009 at 4:00am —
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January 7, 2009 Medicare proposes expanded coverage for cancer-related FDG-PET By James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed Tuesday to grant routine Medicare payment for numerous cancer-related FDG-PET applications evaluated by the National Oncology PET Registry, a program managed by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network. The proposed coverage determination potentially…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 7, 2009 at 3:30am —
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January 7, 2009 FDA approves first imaging agent for MR angiography in U.S. By Rebekah Moan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After prolonged deliberation and repeated demands for more research, the FDA has approved Vasovist (gadofosveset trisodium), the first contrast imaging agent to gain regulatory clearance specifically for MR angiography. The agency approved the New Drug Application for Vasovist on Dec. 24. Epix Pharmaceuticals, the agent's…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 7, 2009 at 3:00am —
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January 6, 2009 Vertebroplasty data hint at negative effect on patient survival By H.A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preliminary results from a Mayo Clinic study suggest that patients who undergo vertebroplasty may die sooner than patients with vertebral fractures who do not undergo the procedure. Vertebroplasty has long been validated as a safe and effective treatment for patients with vertebral compression fractures from osteoporosis.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 6, 2009 at 4:00am —
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January 5, 2009 Awkward, illegal patient info sneaks into PowerPoint files By Philip Ward -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiologists should take much greater care over the patient information contained in their PowerPoint files, according to researchers from the University of Michigan. "Think twice before publicly releasing PowerPoint files," said Dr. Frank Londy, lead author of an informatics education exhibit at RSNA 2008. "Review common…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 5, 2009 at 4:00am —
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January 2, 2009 Imaging utilization rises where radiology presence drops By John C. Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rates of diagnostic imaging utilization varied by more than 56% across the 10 Medicare regions of the U.S., according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting. The regions with the highest utilization had the lowest percentage of imaging services provided by radiologists. The study looked at trends in noninvasive imaging…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 2, 2009 at 4:00am —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 'Yes we can' change our minds about reform It's been 15 years since Hillary's effort fell apart, and I'm just starting to catch up BY ERIC TREFELNER, M.D. Dr. Trefelner is a radiologist and cofounder of NightShift Radiology. He invites comments by e-mail at ericxray@pacbell.net or fax at 650/728-5099. "Arrrgh!! Two hours on this motor vehicle accident case with CTs of the head, face, chest, abdomen, pelvis, lower extremities, and cervical,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 When the RSNA throws the book at us, we read it all At 1186 pages, much of it in agate (very small) type, the RSNA 2008 program book is a pretty imposing document. Few people or organizations can claim to have reviewed most of it. But the Diagnostic Imaging news team did. Every year, for 11 years running, we've divided the program book by topics and conducted a comprehensive review that is summarized and shared as part of our RSNA coverage…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 Ultrasound predicts stroke from carotid morphology A large Italian study suggests that ultrasound can predict the risk of stroke in mostly asymptomatic patients based on the assessment of carotid artery plaque morphology, not just the degree of stenosis. Sonographic surveillance of plaque evolution could boost stroke prevention. Based on a prospective cohort of 1655 patients who underwent ultrasound-based assessments of carotid plaque…
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 True value comes to digital imaging via mining of medical databases BY JOHN C. HAYES, EDITOR For most of the past 15 years or so, radiologists joining the digital revolution have focused on getting their images into the PACS—and out again, properly annotated with a report. For many today, that's still the primary function of a RIS and PACS. That's changing rapidly. Though still largely the province of large academic institutions, data mining…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 Targeted therapies gain ground on hard-to-treat liver tumors Radioactive microspheres treat lesions but spare healthy surrounding tissue, improving patients' odds against some of the deadliest cancers BY ANDREW KENNEDY, M.D., FACRO Dr. Kennedy is co-medical director of Wake Radiology Oncology in Cary, NC. Not long ago, our approach to treating difficult metastatic tumors was to "spray and pray." We knew that chemotherapy and other traditional…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 SPECT trial helps solve mystery of fibromyalgia By Rebekah Moan Millions of adults who suffer from chronic pain may no longer need to bear the added burden of wondering if their discomfort originates from a condition called fibromyalgia rather than depression or anxiety. French researchers have used SPECT to identify brain abnormalities that present physiological evidence of fibromyalgia. …
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 South Carolina radiologist stands against 'Rad Scare' He encourages cardiac imagers to balance clinical risks and benefits of ionizing radiation By H.A. Abella Radiologists were urged at the RSNA meeting to combat distorted reports about cardiac CT radiation exposure that raise unreasonable public anxiety about the risk of medical imaging. Dr. Joseph Schoepf, a professor of radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 11:30am —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 Some breast cancers may regress spontaneously Unexpected findings from a study of Norwegian women who have and have not received routine biennial screening mammography suggest some breast cancers may spontaneously regress. Dr. Per-Henrik Zahl, a senior statistician at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues compared cumulative breast cancer incidence in agematched cohorts of women before and after the initiation of…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 11:30am —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 Real-time elasticity findings improve breast specificity User-friendly elastography emerges as valuable adjunct technique to B-mode imaging for better differentiation of solid masses BY ANNE TARDIVON, M.D. Dr. Tardivon is a radiologist in the breast imaging section at the Institut Curie in Paris. Ultrasound has long been an efficient and useful adjunct technique for breast imaging. It is the first modality to be proposed in some situations: if a…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 11:00am —
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January 1, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Vol. 31 No. 1 Radiation dose reduction themes color RSNA 2008 Improved imaging capabilities and radiologist awareness promise to reduce patient exposure By H.A. Abella Radiation dose reduction was a dominant theme at the 2008 RSNA scientific assembly. If one point was clear to the nearly 60,000 people attending the meeting, it was that radiology has reasserted its authority over the use of ionizing radiation in diagnostic imaging. …
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on January 1, 2009 at 11:00am —
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