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Utilization management steps onto center stageThe rapid growth in imaging utilization over the last several years has drawn the attention of third-party payers from both the private sector and the government, which are now seeking ways to dampen the upward trends. Simply stated, imaging costs are rising faster than overall healthcare costs, making them stand out like a beacon for attention.
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Image IQ: 23-year-old Male with Elbow Pain23-year-old male with a known undisclosed disease presents with left elbow pain.
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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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Taking a Break from RadiologyAs the hours of work grow, I lose time to take care of myself, and it takes a toll on me. Taking a break brings me peace, which I take back to work.
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Prostate imagers await 3T endorectal coilsUnder the best of circumstances, 3T imaging of the prostate with a body coil can approximate the level of detail and sensitivity available at 1.5T with an endorectal coil. Researchers hope that with a 3T-oriented endorectal coil they will finally be able to take advantage of 3T's higher resolution in a challenging portion of the anatomy.
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Olympics organizers put emphasis on technologyThe countdown to the August 2008 Beijing Olympic Games continues, but as excitement levels across China grow with each passing week, Prof. Jian-Ping Dai is not yet ready to celebrate. As the vice director of the Games Service Department of the Beijing Organisation Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), he is working tirelessly to develop a comprehensive and sophisticated infrastructure to help ensure the health of the more than 16,000 athletes expected to participate.
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Three-D techniques showcase the pancreas and biliaryThe advent of multislice CT, advanced computer workstations, and 3D and postprocessing algorithms has allowed for new perspectives from which to view imaging data. These are especially useful for pancreatic cancer and biliary pathology.
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Ultrasound/fine-needle aspiration diagnoses melanoma metastasesUltrasound plus confirmatory fine-needle aspiration cytology can reliably diagnose melanoma metastases, including those less than 6 mm in diameter. Use of the technique enabled over 12% of patients with lymph node metastases to undergo immediate lymph node dissection without the need for prior sentinel node dissection, according to a German study presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando, Florida.
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Inguinal SwellingCase History: 65-year-old male with swelling of left inguinal region for two months.
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Headache, SeizuresCase History: 47-year-old male with headaches followed by generalized tonic-clonic convulsions.
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Two Oil CystsClinical History: A female in her early 30s presented to the women’s imaging department. The patient has a history of a bilateral breast lift and breast implants.
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Coronary CT angiography saves lives and money: 20,000-plus cases prove itQuestions remain from practitioners, payers, and administrators regarding the economic impact of coronary CT angiography on established diagnostic modalities and the effects on reimbursement within imaging. To address these concerns, we have developed the CCTA Data Registry, which now consists of more than 20,000 cases. Preliminary results indicate that coronary CTA is being utilized appropriately and affects savings for the healthcare system.
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Tort reform missing: $100 billion reward if foundThere has been considerable debate concerning President Obama’s healthcare reform initiative despite widespread agreement the U.S. healthcare system is in need of a significant and comprehensive overhaul.
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Imaging makes advances in pancreatic diseasesUltrasound, CT, and MRI are less effective that believe when reviewing pediatric pancreatic disorders.
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Thoughts on Part-Time RadiologistsACR commission recommends each group establish their own policies regarding employing part-time radiologists.
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MR elastography inspires new wave of hepatic imagingJust in time for a looming onset of new liver disease, MR elastography has arrived to employ principles as old as palpation and as new as cross-sectional imaging to create an accurate, noninvasive way to diagnose and stage hepatic fibrosis and other liver disorders.
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MR imaging methods unite to monitor MS progressMultiple sclerosis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It is characterized by pathological changes that include inflammation, demyelination, and axonal injury.
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Imaging unveils internal secrets of drug traffickersThe proliferation of narcotics use over the past decades has been accompanied by a rise in drug smuggling. Meticulous vigilance by international customs and national authorities has led traders to adopt sophisticated and ingenious methods of drug transport.
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Growing demand for 3T MR raises safety concerns in U.K.The wider use of 3T MR scanners, combined with the increasing number of patients with implants, is prompting concern among regulators in the U.K. They question the compatibility of new-generation scanners and medical implants.
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Portal vein embolization provides hope in cancerSurgery is the treatment of choice for all primary and most metastatic liver tumors in patients without extrahepatic disease. One limitation to resection, however, is concern that the volume of liver parenchyma remaining after surgery (remnant liver) may not be sufficient to avoid lethal posthepatectomy liver failure.
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EHRs Are Not Truly Meaningful Without Diagnostic ImagesThe final rule for phase 1 of the federal government’s EHR meaningful use initiative, published in July 2010, failed to specify inclusion of diagnostic images as a requirement to qualify for incentives. As healthcare organizations across the country execute on plans to secure stimulus funds, most do not include diagnostic images.
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Clinical excellence in cardiac CT must begin with educationThe cardiovascular community has witnessed historic changes in the way cardiovascular disease is evaluated. Recently, the greatest growth has been in cardiac CT to noninvasively diagnose coronary (Figure 1) and noncoronary cardiac disease (Figure 2).
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In a changing world, outpatient practices embrace cardiac CTNonacademic private practice groups performing cardiovascular imaging studies have flourished during the past 30 years. As more practitioners entered private practice to meet growing demand and more hospitals developed advanced heart programs, cardiovascular services became increasingly accessible across the U.S.
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Liver MRI CAD speeds workflow, helps standardize interpretationMagnetic resonance imaging is an established and important modality for the evaluation, assessment, and management of liver disease.
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What Constitutes Fetal Distress?With the experts unable to reach consensus, front-line clinicians must continue to rely on their own criteria and experience to decide when a fetus is in jeopardy. Here's how several of your colleagues make that call.
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Workflow picks up benefits from speech recognition toolsMany radiology departments in hospitals and private imaging centers are going digital with the installation of a radiology information system (RIS) and/or picture archiving and communications system (PACS). Departments seem to place less emphasis, however, on automated speech recognition as part of the digital radiology enterprise.
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Building Trust in Pediatric ImagingPediatric radiologists need a different skillset and personality than other radiologists.
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How to Create a Hack-Proof PasswordPassword hacking is a serious, constant threat to home offices, businesses, and health care facilities. Here’s what to consider when creating passwords.
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Workflow benefits of PACS outweigh fear of changeMcHenry County Orthopaedics in Crystal Lake, IL, adopted PACS in 2002, a year after moving into a new 35,000-square-foot facility. The new site offers state-of-the-art technology, including digital and computed radiography.
