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Cardiologist visits RSNA, a technology wonderland

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

PET alters managementfor one in three patients

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. PET alters managementfor one in three patients Early national data suggest that Medicare’s expanded clinical indications for reimbursement were warranted H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preliminary results from the National Oncologic PET Registry indicate that FDG-PET led referring physicians to alter the clinical management for more than one-third of nearly 23,000 cancer patients who underwent the… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Order entry system attacks wasteful imaging referrals

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Order entry system attacks wasteful imaging referrals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two years of experience with Massachusetts General Hospital’s radiology order entry system indicate the decision-support features embedded in the software cut down on inappropriate image utilization. They also help referring doctors learn the most appropriate imaging application for specific symptomatic indications. MGH fellow… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Novel ortho device boasts throughput, low dose, and 3D

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Novel ortho device boasts throughput, low dose, and 3D French firm biospace med acquires lateral, frontal radiographs simultaneously, creates reconstructions Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technology that 15 years ago led to a Nobel Prize in physics is today the cornerstone of a unique DR system that promises up to a 90% cut in radiation dose for body skeletal images compared with film systems. It… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

New CPT codes raise rates, but billing problems remain

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. New CPT codes raise rates, but billing problems remain Cardiac MR codes grant a victory despite continued Medicare ban on blood flow measurement payment James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eight replacement CPT billing codes and a nearly twofold increase in relative value unit rates used to calculate payments for cardiac MR imaging have raised the spirits of physician users about the modality’s prospects.… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

MSCT boosts diagnosis of perforated appendix

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. MSCT boosts diagnosis of perforated appendix -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese researchers have found that detection of an enhancement defect of the appendiceal wall using multislice CT allows accurate diagnosis of perforations of the inflamed appendix. Dr. Masahiro Tsuboi and colleagues at the Tohoku University in Miyagi retrospectively evaluated 102 patients with confirmed appendicitis. The investigators… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Medicare MRI utilization rate by state

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Medicare MRI utilization rate by state -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medicare beneficiaries in Delaware were more than twice as likely as their counterparts in Vermont to undergo MRI in 2004. The state-by-state rates ranged from 241 MR scans per 1000 Medicare beneficiaries in Delaware to 107 scans per 1000 in Vermont. The national average was 171 scans per 1000. Laurence Parker, Ph.D., a researcher from Thomas… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Medical students Google away for imaging data

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Medical students Google away for imaging data -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiologists seeking a specific piece of medical information online should consider initiating searches with Google, which provides a list of medical resources likely to contain the information needed, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Elliot Fishman, director of diagnostic radiology and body CT, and colleagues… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Lung transplant patients may benefit from 64-slice CT scans

March 4, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Lung transplant patients may benefit from 64-slice CT scans State-of-the-art units can show subtle changes to lung parenchyma that are not apparent on conventional radiographs or respiratory tests Settimo Caruso, M.D., and Roberto Miraglia, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lung transplantation is an accepted treatment option for patients with end-stage lung disease. The procedure can increase quality of life… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Imagers achieve peak results while cutting gadolinium dose

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Image Gently alliance seeks to cut pediatric radiation

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

High-tech cabinet helps hospitals manage agents

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Cardiac CT exhibits clinical, cost benefits despite radiation risk

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.… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

3T MRI enhances knee osteoarthritis management

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Focused ultrasound excels for prostate cancer therapy

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Echo society issues rules for carotid ultrasound

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Dwindling helium supply may bring black market

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Digital chest x-ray CAD helps spot cancerous lung masses

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Coronary CTA: Can it survive?

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Coronary CT speed, resolution edge out catheter angiography

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… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

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