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Image IQ: 65-year old Male, Left Sensorineural Hearing Loss65-year-old male presents with left sensorineural hearing loss.
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Is voice recognition a high-tech con game?I'm not a fan of voice recognition transcription, so I read Eric Trefelner's column, "Voice recognition misses a few beats" (May, page 104), with special interest. I'm also not naive enough to believe individual radiologists can, or should, stand in the way of this remarkable technology.
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MR finds widespread clinical use in MS diagnosis, managementMR imaging has provided important insights into the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis.1 Conventional MR scans afford only gross estimates of the extent and nature of tissue damage associated with MS,2 however, and the data correlate poorly with measures of concurrent disability in patients. Advances in MRI technology have improved the correlation of its findings with clinical status and increased the utility of MRI data as surrogate markers in monitoring disease progression and response to therapy.3 Newer techniques, such as magnetization transfer (MT), diffusion-weighted, and functional MRI, as well as proton MR spectroscopy and measures of brain and spinal cord atrophy, may help further elucidate MS pathology2 and provide opportunities for new treatment approaches.4
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MSCT assists ovarian mass identificationOvarian cancer accounts for nearly 3% of all cancers among women. It is the second most common gynecological malignancy in the U.S., following carcinoma of the uterine corpus.
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Sinonasal tumors require team-based approachA variety of neoplasms, derived from a multitude of tissue types, can develop in the sinonasal tract. Sinonasal neoplasms are classified as epithelial or mesenchymal. Epithelial tumors occur in the epithelial lining of the nasal and sinus cavities, accessory salivary tissue, neuroendocrine tissue, and the olfactory mucosa. Mesenchymal tumors are found in supporting tissues.
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Breast tomosynthesis tackles new challengesMammography is the only screening modality that has been proven to reduce mortality from breast cancer.
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Contrast gives the edge to digital breast scansThe clinical importance of tumor angiogenesis in primary breast cancer is well known. Studies have shown that intratumoral microvessel density is an independent prognostic indicator that correlates with a higher incidence of metastases.1,2
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Finding dose/quality balance presents CT imaging challengeInterest in cardiac imaging with multislice CT is growing, as evidenced by the large number of studies that have been published on this topic. Advances in cardiac MSCT have also been aided by the introduction of extremely fast, user-friendly scanners.
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CT and MRI drive awareness of vascular liver disordersThe liver receives blood from arterial (20%) and venous (80%) sources. This dual blood supply means that the organ is well-suited to contrast-enhanced cross-sectional imaging.
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64-slice CT monitors coronary artery healthState-of-the-art scanners enable noninvasive assessment of bypass grafts and native vasculature for patency and arterial disease
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64-slice scanners build case for coronary CTAResearch focused on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular disease is progressing rapidly.1 Radiology has always played a central diagnostic role, particularly in the coronary vessels. A technique for selectively catheterizing the coronary arteries was developed in 1959, and conventional x-ray coronary angiography is still considered the gold standard for detecting coronary artery disease.2
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Contrast-enhanced ultrasound achieves new breakthroughsDespite the FDA's reluctance to approve the use of contrast agents for diagnostic ultrasound other than for cardiac applications, clinical research in this area continues around the world. Researchers are particularly interested in validating the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging for the noninvasive diagnosis of cancer.
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Breast MR shows promise for population at high riskBreast carcinomas are the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide. World Health Organization figures show that more than 1.2 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. About 385,000 of these cases occur in Asia.
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Learn what you need to know about oncology imagingDespite a complex array of tests for imaging the abdomen, there are really only three things that oncologists need to tell radiologists in order to get the most out of these imaging studies, according to Dr. Fergus V. Coakley, chief of abdominal imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Indian radiologists suffer under ban on sex-selective abortionsBurdensome bureaucracy is penalizing many law-abiding radiologists in India, 16 years on from implementation of the Pre-Conception (PC) and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act.
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MR imaging evaluates ulcerative colitis casesAdvances in MR technology have improved the quality of abdominal MRI and hence the ability to assess intestinal diseases. Rapid acquisition sequences have reduced the incidence of motion artifacts from intestinal peristalsis, while the use of phased-array coils has increased spatial resolution. Several intestinal contrast agents have undergone extensive trials. Meanwhile, the use of sequences that modulate MRI signal selectively, for example by suppressing fat tissue signal, can improve gadolinium-related enhancement on T1-weighted images, as well as boosting T2 signal in pathologic tissues.
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Good technique preventscalcium scoring pitfallsCoronary artery calcium measurement with cardiac CT has been used for cardiovascular risk assessment since 1990.
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MR imaging evaluates ulcerative colitis casesAdvances in MR technology have improved the quality of abdominal MRI and hence the ability to assess intestinal diseases. Rapid acquisition sequences have reduced the incidence of motion artifacts from intestinal peristalsis, while the use of phased-array coils has increased spatial resolution. Several intestinal contrast agents have undergone extensive trials. Meanwhile, the use of sequences that modulate MRI signal selectively, for example by suppressing fat tissue signal, can improve gadolinium-related enhancement on T1-weighted images, as well as boosting T2 signal in pathologic tissues.
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MR imaging strides ahead in rectal cancer stagingIn rectal cancer, mortality rates are high and prognoses are generally poor, owing to the strong risk of metastases and local recurrence.
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MRI Safety: Monitoring Body Temperature During MRIThis monograph focuses on the need to monitor body temperature in patients during MRI and discusses the sites to record temperature based on efficacy and stability of the measurement, as well as the response time (i.e., the temporal resolution) during temperature fluctuations.
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Accounting approach pairs costs, productivityRadiology practices face serious challenges to their financial health. Reimbursement is under almost continuous attack, with the latest salvo arising from the Deficit Reduction Act and threats of worse to come in the near future.
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Volume ultrasound competes with multiplanar CT and MRIDespite its widespread use as a tool that provides rapid diagnosis at a relatively low cost without the need for bulky equipment or ionizing radiation, ultrasound faces mounting competition from modalities such as CT and MRI, which combine short acquisition times with the ability to rapidly generate multiplanar and 3D images. That may change with volume ultrasound, a technique that lets clinicians and sonographers scan the patient and rapidly analyze data from a volume of interest.
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Biomarkers initiate major shift in imaging researchSuccessful radiological research requires correlation with a gold standard that is accepted as the best diagnostic test or optimum method for treatment assessment. This may involve analysis of a pathologic specimen or another invasive procedure. Such standards are, however, associated with long observation times or a need for surgical exploration. Using the five-year survival rate, a relatively long time in the setting of a cancer therapy, would prevent many patients from benefiting from a potentially successful treatment option.
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Cardiac CT's promise awaits aid of outcomes studiesAdvances in spatial, temporal resolution should help CT provide better functional, anatomic information
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RFA and cryoablation expand treatment of hepatic tumorsAblative techniques have greatly improved physicians' ability to definitively treat patients with primary and secondary hepatic tumors. These techniques include radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryoablation, as well as newer microwave and laser ablation methods. Ablation devices, used either alone or combined with hepatic resection, have made it feasible to treat patients with bilobar lesions and those who would not tolerate liver resection due to underlying comorbidities.
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Multiple modalities explore schizophreniaNeuroimaging research has contributed enormously to our understanding of structural and functional differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia and those of healthy people. Imaging now offers insights into how drugs used to treat schizophrenia work as well as the genetic mechanisms that lie at the root of these disorders.
