As the worldwide popularity of all-terrain vehicles continues to soar, radiologists must recognize the potentially life-threatening injuries that can result from this recreational pursuit, according to a prize-winning education exhibit at the RSNA meeting.
ATVs can reach speeds of more than 80 miles per hour, but few use restrictions exist. Since 1984, 6494 deaths have resulted from ATVs in the U.S. Of these, 2019 (31%) involved users under the age of 16. In 2004 alone, 129,500 ATV-related injuries required hospital treatment, and the annual cost of deaths exceeds $100 million.
"ATV-related trauma is rapidly becoming a major public health problem. Rates of injury, morbidity, and mortality continue to rise. Severe injuries in the pediatric population are alarmingly high, and there is poor helmet usage," wrote lead author Dr. Brian J. Montague from the University of California, San Diego.
The UCSD Medical Center documented 125 trauma admissions from ATVs. Of these, 109 were male, 16 were female, with a mean age of 30. Only 53 drivers wore helmets, and 22 serious injuries resulted. Hospital stays averaged 5.1 days, with a mean charge per stay of $55,890. The most common injuries included lumbar spine fracture, thoracic spine fracture, and maxillofacial fracture.
Campaigners calling for tighter regulations on ATVs support pre-sale training and certification, formal notification to buyers of safety rules, new performance and design standards, and alcohol(Drug information on alcohol) and age restrictions.
The UCSD group was one of seven North American research teams that collected the eight magna cum laude awards from the RSNA, disappointing the hundreds of European and Asian presenters who crave these prestigious annual awards.
The top nuclear medicine exhibit involved a new diagnostic agent for detecting infection, technetium-99m-fanolesomab (NeutroSpec). This antigranulocyte antibody binds to CD15 antigens expressed on human leukocytes, and is approved for patients with an equivocal presentation of appendicitis.
The radiolabeled antibody is injected directly into patients, labeling leukocytes in vivo and overcoming the limitations of in vitro cell labeling.
"The product rapidly and accurately diagnoses appendicitis in patients with an equivocal presentation," wrote lead author Dr. Josephine N. Rini, division of nuclear medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY. "Preliminary investigations suggest that it is comparable to in-vitro In111-labeled leukocytes for diagnosing diabetic pedal osteomyelitis. Although data are limited, it is likely Tc99m-fanolesomab will be useful for diagnosing other infections."
A poster assessing MRI's utility in myocardial perfusion garnered first prize for cardiac imaging. The lead author, S.A. Reid, PhD., hails from the University of Leeds. The poster addressed the influence of scan parameters, normal and abnormal perfusion images, post-processing, and pitfalls.
The poster discussed modified look-locker inversion (MOLLI) recovery, a pulse sequence scheme for cardiac imaging, which allows myocardial T1-mapping with high spatial resolution on clinical 1.5T systems within a single breath-hold. But before this technique can be used to assess T1 changes in patients with myocardial disease, its normal in vivo behaviour needs to be determined.
The other magna cum laude winners were Dr. Viviane Khoury, University of Montreal (musculoskeletal ultrasound); Dr. Kristin Dittmar, UCLA (treatment of uterine leiomyomas); Dr. Joy A. Henningsen, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (percutaneous biopsy of head and neck lesions using image guidance); Dr. L.R. Gentry, University of Wisconsin, Madison (diagnostic evaluation of cervical spine trauma); and Dr. B. Sundaram, Ann Arbor, Michigan (CT of normal and abnormal findings following thoracic aortic interposition and inclusion graft surgeries).
