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MRS gains indications, but still fights for reimbursementTo paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of diagnostic MR spectroscopy are greatly exaggerated. CPT 76390 is considered standard of care as an effective imaging technique for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients with brain lesions by Cigna Healthcare, a respected healthcare provider,1 though declared "investigational" by Blue Shield, Anthem, and Medicare. Radiologists and other physicians are confused and annoyed by some insurers' refusal to reimburse for their MRS services.
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Snowboarders face different injuries from skiersDespite the image of young snowboarders recklessly bombing downhill, the popular sport actually has no greater percentage of injuries than does skiing. Snowboarders have their own types of injuries, however, related to factors unique to the sport.
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Emerging technologies for ultrasonic breast cancer diagnosis: ultrasound elastographyThe estimation of tissue hardness and masses by palpation during a physical examination is one of the oldest methods used in medical diagnosis. Palpation was practiced by Egyptian physicians as early as 2600 BCE.
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Intervention: Needle biopsy, ablation score high in tumorsOver the past 15 years, improvements in biopsy needle design, sampling technique, and expertise of radiologists and cytopathologists have developed in concert with imaging technologies to make percutaneous needle biopsy (PNB) the most common interventional radiologic procedure. With skills refined from performing PNB, radiologists can now use a new and promising outgrowth of this technique-percutaneous tumor ablation-to safely and accurately place needles into a variety of malignant lesions to deliver local treatment.
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Successful Execution of Enterprise ImagingExperts that have developed enterprise imaging strategies talked about their process at HIMSS 2015.
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Uterine DidelphysUltrasound, MRI diagnose Mullerian duct anomalies in 23-year-old female. Bleeding P/V, diffuse abdominal pain 18 days; abortion pills use after 45 days of missed period.
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Strategies can limit imaging fungibilityWhether we would like to admit it or not, medical imaging is slowly on its way to becoming a commodity, which has been defined by Wikipedia as "anything for which there is a demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a given market."
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Teamwork and preparation create effective reading roomNumerous studies have shown that poorly designed reading rooms reduce radiologists' productivity, contribute to reporting errors, and increase work-related physical injuries. Even so, poorly designed reading rooms continue to be the norm rather than the exception.
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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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CT imaging detects markers of vulnerable carotid plaqueStroke remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. and is the principal medical cause of long-term disability, with 780,000 new or recurrent strokes occurring annually.1 Ischemic strokes related to carotid atherosclerotic disease make up almost 30% of the total.
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Malpractice awards vary widely for thoracic/GI imagingCancer of the lung is overwhelmingly the most common cause of U.S. lawsuits involving thoracic disease, outdistancing by far any other condition within the confines of the thoracic cavity. Conversely, failure to diagnose gastrointestinal conditions is an uncommon cause of suits against radiologists, but perforated viscus awards are much higher than those for other gastrointestinal conditions.
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RSNA foundation identifies biomed research queriesWhat topics of research occupy the minds of radiologists? Dr. Peggy Fritzsche, chair of the RSNA Research and Education Foundation, revealed the top 25 questions in biomedical imaging and radiation oncology that the radiology community wants answered during the RSNA meeting in November.
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A Case for Decision Support of Imaging ServicesWhile we agree that both approaches can help manage utilization rates of imaging and reduce health care costs, we beg to strongly differ that prior notification is the better option. We have hard facts that indicate decision support is better for not only patients, but providers, health plans, and our nation.
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Image IQ: 52-year-old Female with Family History of Breast Cancer52-year-old asymptomatic female with family history of breast cancer presents for annual mammogram.
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Primary Peritoneal MesotheliomaA 56-year-old Vietnam veteran man was admitted with a three-day history of worsening abdominal pain progressing into an acute abdomen. He had past medical history of Hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and chronic abdominal pain of unknown etiology. There was no gross bowel pathology by upper endoscopy or colonoscopy early the year of admission.
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CT and MRI help evaluate adrenal gland disordersThe adrenal glands are paired retroperitoneal endocrine organs. They are thin, inverted Y- or V-shaped soft tissue structures and have flat or concave margins. The vertical length of each gland may be anywhere from 2 to 4 cm. Their “limbs” are approximately 0.4 cm thick in axial cross-section, which is roughly as thin as the adjacent diaphragmatic crus.
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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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Ultrasound in Interventional Radiology: Small Market, Big FutureWith increasing economic pressures and concern regarding radiation dose, a safer and comparable alternative to CT and X-ray is being sought. Ultrasound may be the answer.
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MSCT moves ahead of DSA for peripheral arterial diseasePeripheral arterial occlusive disease is a chronic and progressive disease that is common in the Western world.
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MR, CT imaging offer answers to questions about renal massThe widespread use of cross-sectional imaging techniques means that renal masses are now a common incidental finding. The term renal mass covers a diverse group of pathologic entities, including inflammatory, vascular, and benign tumors and neoplastic lesions. Most renal masses are simple cysts that can be characterized easily and require no treatment or follow-up. But approximately 25% to 40% of all renal cell carcinomas are diagnosed after the unexpected discovery of a renal mass.1 Around 85% of these renal cancers will be adenocarcinomas. Most of the others will be transitional cell carcinomas of the renal pelvis.
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CT perfusion for stroke: Should you use it?CT perfusion for stroke leaped from clinical discussion forums to the front pages in the last 13 months.
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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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Correct Application Of MRI: helps find causes of lower back painLow back pain is extremely common in Western society.1 It is second only to upper respiratory illness as a symptom-related reason for visits to the doctor.2
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SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridgesPractice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical education and demonstration combined with the latest research and science in imaging informatics.
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Anatomic, functional imaging collaborate in cancer detectionSeveral oncologic imaging modalities have evolved significantly since CT was developed in 1973. Although CT provides a noninvasive method for evaluating cancer patients, first-generation scanners were limited in their speed of data acquisition and spatial resolution. Current multislice CT scanners can evaluate a patient completely, with exquisite anatomic detail, in as little as 15 to 30 seconds.
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What Can Big Data Do For Radiologists?With big data comes big responsibility, but radiologists can benefit from the continuing big data trend.
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Vendors make cardiac scans easy to readJunior high school student with proper training could read certain cardiac CT studies
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Multislice CT illuminatescholangiocarcinoma casesCholangiocarcinoma is an adenocarcinoma that arises from the intra- and extrahepatic bile duct epithelium.
