CT

Mexican physicians have compiled a set of radiological findings that is helping local health agencies confirm the diagnosis of the swine A-H1N1 flu virus in humans. Some imaging patterns resemble those from the severe acute respiratory syndrome or ‘avian flu’ epidemic that struck mostly Asian countries in 2003.

A study by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has confirmed what critics of in-office self-referred imaging have long claimed. Physicians who have a financial interest in medical imaging equipment are more likely to refer patients to use it, and they incur higher costs generally than physicians who do not have similar financial incentives.

A study showing the promising effects of radioimmunotherapy with two different agents for treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma won the Image of the Year award at the 2009 SNM meeting in Toronto.

Patients who experience pain in the lower back are more likely to get an x-ray or CT scan within 28 days if their primary physician works in a larger practice as opposed to a smaller facility, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The center also found that patient satisfaction incentives encourage unnecessary imaging.

The International Atomic Energy Agency and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have turned to YouTube to educate the public and physicians about the risks of exposure to CT-generated ionizing radiation and strategies to address them.

Low-dose CT lung cancer screening carries a high burden of false-positive results after only two rounds of testing, according to a presentation at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Nuclear medicine providers can expect molybdenum-99 shortages until at least September while North America’s primary source of medical isotopes is shut down for repairs.

Barely three months after the Dutch High Flux Reactor at Petten in the Netherlands came back on line -- ending a half-year hiatus that threw a monkey wrench into the world supply of the technetium-generating molybdenum radioisotope -- practitioners of nuclear medicine are facing a new crisis. A shutdown at the Canadian nuclear reactor at Ontario’s Chalk River less than two weeks ago threatens to cut in half the supply of technetium to sites in the U.S.

Two radically different opinions have emerged to describe why the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decided not to extend Medicare coverage to CT colonography screening. One credits a new policy requiring efficacy data that considers the effect of proposed medical applications specifically on a Medicare population. The other cites the influence of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Medication errors may arise less often in a busy hospital radiology department than in other inpatient services, but they can cause more serious damage when they do happen. Radiologists at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center came to these conclusions after evaluating 27 months of high-tech medical imaging experience. They used their data to identify the causes of errors and devise strategies to address them.

Other headlines:Dunlee improves CT tube offering

Thin CT slices are better than thick ones at identifying obturator arteries in blunt pelvic trauma patients, according to a study from Loma Linda University.

A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan consortium has shown that adopting common radiation reduction techniques can help community-based cardiac CT practices break the habit of exposing patients to extraordinary amounts of radiation.

Simple measures of kidney stone diameter no longer make the grade for urologists, who now require more comprehensive valuations of stone density and composition to guide treatment decisions.

Other headlines:PACSGear preps disk writer for SIIM

Software that improves image quality is on track to be a champion of CT dose reduction now and in the future.

A lifesaver for some and source of wasted diagnostic effort for others, incidental findings from CT colonography present opportunities and risks for patients and imaging practitioners.

The floodgates of advanced processing sprang wide Wednesday, unleashing a three-hour torrent of 2D and 3D renderings from eight workstations in what has become an annual event at the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

Systems that effectively archive today’s thin-slice CT images are the wave of the future, but they aren’t here yet. In the meantime, PACS administrators need to be aware of this trend and consider scalable solutions that keep their options open for future developments, according to a presentation at the 2009 International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

Nuclear imaging practices are bracing for another long isotope shortage with the May 15 emergency shutdown of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River in Ontario, Canada.

Like Goldilocks testing the bears’ porridge, the American College of Radiology and other professional societies are using diagnostic reference level (DRL) data to tell radiologists if the patient dose radiation from their CT scanners is too hot or just right.

Training trumps experience when it comes to interpreting CT colonography, said Dr. Abe Dachman, director of the Fellowship Programs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Other headlines: Cardiac cath usage declinesViztek launches mammo PACS viewer

The factors associated with clinically significant contrast-induced nephropathy are a low estimated glomerular filtration rate (

Chinese Hospital is dedicated to serving patients of Chinese descent in San Francisco. By integrating advanced processing techniques and scheduling, its Carestream RIS/PACS helps the hospital make the most of its resources. Greg Freiherr has the story from San Francisco’s Chinatown.

The new generation of wide CT detectors provides expanded coverage, allowing faster scans and even dynamic imaging of organs, including heart and brain. There are disadvantages, said Dr. Mathias Prokop, speaking May 19 at the 11th International Symposium on Multidetector Row CT, but these are minor in comparison.

A smorgasbord of challenges face radiology but few present a greater threat than the “invisible radiologist,” said Dr. Gary Glazer, chairman of the Stanford University radiology department, who kicked off the 11th International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

Radiation exposure from multislice CT may be a reason for concern regarding pregnant women and fetuses, but Dr. Donald P. Frush does not consider it a contraindication to performing medically necessary procedures.

One of the first proven applications for multislice CT was trauma, a clinical role affirmed by past International Symposia on Multidetector-Row CT and the one going on now in San Francisco. Over the last several years, however, another issue -- patient radiation dose -- has surfaced, calling some MSCT applications into question. Any concerns about radiation dose are vastly outweighed, however, by the benefits of CT when it comes to dealing with trauma patients.

The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition has introduced an attractive new website designed to inform the public about the clinical capabilities and political controversies that surround diagnostic imaging practice.