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Text messaging may go a long way toward reducing the costs and potential health repercussions that can occur with cancellations, no-shows and no-gos in radiology practice.

How Text Messaging Can Help Mitigate Key Pain Points in Radiology 

Incorporating text messaging into your mammography screening program may facilitate improved mammography screening rates in your patient population as well as enhanced practice management efficiencies. 

Improving Mammography Adherence and Volume with Text Messaging

Contacting patients via cell phone can save time, money, and resources.

Two-Way Texting: The Simple, Effective Way to Reduce Radiology Revenue Loss

Emphasizing enhanced workflow efficiency for mammography exams, GE HealthCare will unveil the Pristina Via mammography platform at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference.

In addition to offering zero-click acquisition to facilitate streamlined workflow, the 

 incorporates prior image comparison, irrespective of mammography vendor, to aid in mammography assessments, according to GE HealthCare.

The company adds that the Pristina Via system offers image to image cycle time for digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) that is up to twice as fast as other mammography platforms, as well as the lowest radiation dose for all breast thicknesses.

“Simplifying, automating, and streamlining the mammography exam to improve in-room workflows is critical to driving patient compliance and access to screening,” said John Simon, M.D., the CEO of SimonMed. “The enhancements offered by Pristina Via are part of our mission of making advanced technology accessible.”

The new mammography system reportedly offers features that promote workflow efficiency as well as patient comfort.

Topic

GE HealthCare Introduces Pristina Via Mammography System at RSNA

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to provide quantitative coronary tomography (AI-QCT) and coronary plaque analysis (AI-CPA) based on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) will soon be covered by four Medicare administrative contractors (MACs).

Starting on November 24, the MACs Palmetto GBA, National Government Services (NGS), CGS Administrators and WPS administrative groups will cover the use of AI-QCT and AI-CPA for Medicare beneficiaries with acute or stable chest pain, and no known coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a recently updated local coverage determination (LCD) issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The LCD noted coverage of AI tools will be provided for the testing of patients deemed to be at intermediate risk for CAD, or those classified by the Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) as having CAD-RADS 1, CAD-RADS 2 or CAD-RADS 3, based on CCTA findings. The coverage will also apply for those who have had negative or inconclusive evaluation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the LCD.

The use of the FDA-cleared AI modalities 

“Coronary artery disease is the underlying cause of about 50% of deaths,” noted Ron Blankstein, M.D., the director of cardiac computed tomography at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “Medicare coverage of HeartFlow Plaque Analysis is a major step forward in improving coronary artery disease management. The earlier we can diagnose and use tools to provide accurate plaque quantification, the earlier we can provide tailored treatments, potentially improving outcomes for patients.”

“We are also extremely thankful to the many physicians and medical society partners who used their voices to advocate for this essential AI-QCT technology. Until Cleerly, health-care providers have not had a way to easily and completely assess the primary cause of heart attacks, atherosclerotic plaque burden and type in a non-invasive way, which is especially important for our senior population,” noted James L. Kim, M.D., the CEO and founder of Cleerly. “This decision by the MACs represents a significant step in advancing the field of cardiology and providing the best possible care for our seniors.”

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “

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1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Artificial intelligence enabled CT based quantitative coronary topography (AI-QCT)/coronary plaque analysis (AI-CPA). Available at: 

https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?lcdid=39851&ver=10

 . Published October 10, 2024. Accessed October 14, 2024.

2. Cleerly. Medicare administrative contractors approve coverage of Cleerly heart scans to Medicare recipients. Business Wire. Available at: 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241014694634/en/Medicare-Administrative-Contractors-Approve-Coverage-of-Cleerly-Heart-Scans-to-Medicare-Recipients

 . Published October 14, 2024. Accessed October 14, 2024.

3. HeartFlow. HeartFlow announces favorable coverage determination for plaque analysis by four Medicare administrative contractors. GlobeNewswire. Available at: 

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/11/2962144/0/en/HeartFlow-Announces-Favorable-Coverage-Determination-for-Plaque-Analysis-by-Four-Medicare-Administrative-Contractors.html

4. Elucid. Elucid announces favorable Medicare coverage of AI coronary plaque analysis. Business Wire. Available at: 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015489543/en/Elucid-Announces-Favorable-Medicare-Coverage-of-AI-Coronary-Plaque-Analysis

 . Published October 15, 2024. Accessed October 15, 2024.

Four Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) will provide coverage of AI-enabled coronary plaque analysis and quantitative coronary tomography assessment of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for Medicare beneficiaries starting in November 2024.

Medicare to Cover AI-Powered, CCTA-Based Coronary Plaque Analysis and Quantitative Coronary Topography 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for AngioFlow™, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled perfusion imaging software that may facilitate more timely assessments of perfusion status prior to endovascular procedures.

Offering color-coded perfusion mapping that identifies regions with reduced cerebral blood flow and blood volume, 

 provides results within minutes of a cone-beam computed tomography (CT) scan, according to RapidAI, the manufacturer of AngioFlow.

In addition to potential cost savings by reducing redundant imaging, RaidAI emphasized that AngioFlow’s timely assessments may reduce long-term disability risks and facilitate life-saving interventions for patients in need of acute stroke care.

“AngioFlow by RapidAI will allow physicians to assess the need for additional imaging immediately in the interventional suite. By avoiding unnecessary scans, stroke patients can receive the timely care that can be the difference between being able to walk out of a hospital to their homes versus being discharged to a skilled nursing facility,” said Abhishek Singh, MD, DABPN, DUCNS, who is affiliated with the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.

The company added that AngioFlow has been validated in more than 10 clinical trials.

Reportedly validated in more than 10 clinical trials, the AngioFlow perfusion imaging software enables timely identification of brain regions with cerebral blood flow reduction and those with significant hypoperfusion.

FDA Clears AI-Powered Qualitative Perfusion Mapping for Cone-Beam CT

While single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is well validated for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) and other cardiovascular abnormalities, there is a degrading effect with attenuation that requires an additional computed tomography (CT) scan to address attenuation compensation.

However, in a recent interview, Abhinav Kumar Jha, Ph.D, noted there are a large number of SPECT scanners that do not have the CT component and this issue is particularly prevalent in community hospitals and rural facilities. Dr. Jha says this problem is compounded as studies have demonstrated a higher prevalence of heart disease in rural health-care settings.

Dr. Jha pointed out that 75 percent of SPECT MPI exams are performed without attenuation compensation and cites a survey of nuclear cardiology providers that found only 5.6 percent provided CT-based attenuation correction.

“Therefore, you can imagine there's a very important need for a large segment of the patient population to have access to this technology of attenuation correction without being able to take a CT scan,” noted Dr. Jha, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

However, in recently published research, Dr. Jha and other researchers developed a deep learning technique that provides CT-less (dubbed CTLESS) attenuation compensation. With this research and other studies, Dr. Jha said the CTLESS approach has provided consistent performance across scanner models and patients with different degrees of heart disease.

While acknowledging that more studies are needed to validate the technology, Dr. Jha noted the CTLESS approach has potential to bolster access to SPECT MPI.

“I'm excited about the CTLESS technology (and) making the process of attenuation compensation more accessible, affordable as well as safe,” emphasized Dr. Jha.

Assessing MACE Risk in Women: Can an Emerging Model with SPECT MPI Imaging Have an Impact?

Radiology ‘Game-Changer’: FDA Approves PET Agent for Enhanced Detection of Coronary Artery Disease

Study Shows Merits of CTA-Derived Quantitative Flow Ratio in Predicting MACE

For more insights from Dr. Jha, watch the video below.

Abhinav K. Jha, Ph.D., discusses emerging research for a deep learning CT-less alternative for providing attenuation compensation for SPECT MPI.

Can Deep Learning Provide a CT-Less Alternative for Attenuation Compensation with SPECT MPI?

In a recent interview, Abhinav K. Jha, Ph.D., discussed key challenges with the use of SPECT MRI and how an emerging deep learning model may facilitate attenuation compensation without the need for an additional computed tomography (CT) scan.

Artificial intelligence (AI) assessment of total kidney volume (TKV) on computed tomography (CT) scans may emerge as a significant prognostic marker for patients being treated with 177Lu-PSMA-I&T therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

For a retrospective study, recently published in 

 researchers reviewed automated TKV measurements from deep learning segmentation (Total Segmentator) of CT scans in 121 patients with mCRPC. All patients in the cohort had at least four cycles of 177Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy, according to the study.

The study authors found that a decrease of TKV of 10 percent or greater at six months had a 90 percent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicting a 30 percent or greater decline of the estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) at one year.

The aforementioned TKV marker also had an 85 percent sensitivity rate and a 96 percent specificity rate for predicting one-year decline of eGFR of 30 percent or greater, according to the researchers.

“Automated TKV assessment on standard-of-care CT images predicted deterioration of renal function 12 months after 177Lu-PSMA-I&T initiation in metastatic castration-resistant 

,” wrote lead study author Lisa Steinhelfer, M.D., who is affiliated with the Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the School of Medicine at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and colleagues.

Noting that the mean age of the cohort was 76 and the commonly delayed presentation of radiation-induced nephropathy, the researchers maintained the study findings are particularly relevant given the increasing research evaluating the use of 177Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy to treat less advanced prostate cancer.

“The volume decrease observed in our patient cohort far exceeds physiologic decline, strongly suggesting radiation-induced renal atrophy as the primary cause,” emphasized Steinhelfer and colleagues.

Could Pluvicto Have a Role in Taxane-Naïve mCRPC?: an Interview with Oliver Sartor, MD?

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What SPECT/CT May Reveal About Early Treatment Response for Pluvicto in Patients with mCRPC

Beyond the inherent limitations of a retrospective single-center study, the authors noted the lack of a control group precluded analysis of confounding factors that may have contributed to TKV decreases. They also acknowledged that the timing of the eGFR assessments may not have fully reflected dynamic changes in renal function.

In patients who had at least four cycles of 177Lu-PSMA-I&T for mCRPC, new research shows that a 10 percent or greater decrease in total kidney volume on CT at six months has a 90 percent AUC for predicting estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) of 30 percent or greater at one year.

Clinical

Can CT-Based AI Help Predict Renal Function Decline After Radioligand Therapy for mCRPC?

A 12-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with acute pain in the medial aspect of his right elbow after pitching in a baseball game. He also complains of dull lateral elbow pain that has been present for weeks. AP, oblique, and lateral radiographs of the right elbow were obtained.

Medial and lateral epicondyle avulsion fractures

Medial epicondyle avulsion fracture and osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum

A 12-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with acute pain in the medial aspect of his right elbow after pitching in a baseball game. 

Brandon Daniell

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