RSNA preview: CT coronary angiography, CT colonography gain widespread use

Highlights of the 2008 RSNA meeting include discussions about the use of CT angiography as a noninvasive technique for diagnosing coronary artery disease and the replacement of standard optical colonoscopy with CT colonography to screen for colon cancer.

Coronary CTA is a hot topic, said Dr. David Levin, professor emeritus of radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

"It has high impact and a lot of ramifications for a lot of patients, because it's a way to diagnose coronary artery disease noninvasively," Levin said.

The technique has been used for the last five years, but it has become more widely used with the development of 64-slice CT scanners in academic and large community hospitals, as well as in many physicians' offices.

"It's a good diagnostic test," Levin said.

He cited as another topic of interest a relatively new procedure: CT colonography.

"There's a lot of interest in using it for screening colon cancer," Levin said.

Some disagreement persists, however, between radiologists and gastroenterologists about using CT colonography or the more common standard optical colonoscopy.

In the Health Services Policy and Research areas, notable topics will include the disparity in types of imaging related to socioeconomic status or insurance coverage, the effects of including a patient photo with a radiologic exam, occupational stress in radiologists, and evaluation of an outpatient imaging center where radiologists consult directly with patients, said subcommittee chair Dr. Ruth C. Carlos.

Other presentations this year will address resident education, evidence-based medicine, and guideline development.

 

Among the notable scientific papers to be introduced at the upcoming meeting in Chicago are the following:

• Availability, Awareness, and Use of Dose Reduction Technologies Among Radiologists: The CT Awareness of Radiation Exposure Study (CARES), Ella A. Kazerooni, M.D., Ann Arbor, MI, Mon., Dec. 1, #SSC09-03, 10:50 a.m., Room N229
• Creating a Patient Centered Radiology Facility: Logistics, Barriers, and Recommendations in Implementing an Outpatient Imaging Center Where Radiologists Consult Directly with Their Patients, Pat Auveek Basu, M.D., Palo Alto, CA, Wed., Dec. 3, #SSM12-02, 3:10 p.m., Room N229
• If I Choose Not to Participate in Regular Screening Mammography How Long Will I Live If I Develop Breast Cancer? John D. Keen, M.D., MBA, Brookfield, IL, Wed., Dec. 3, #SSM12-04, 3:30 p.m., Room N229
• Use of Imaging Services by Uninsured Hospital Inpatients, James Moser, Ph.D., Reston, VA, Wed., Dec. 3, #SSM12-05, 3:40 p.m., Room N229