Diagnostic Imaging Vol 30 No 12

Like most radiology groups, mine is a diverse collection. This is good. It allows us to hear a wide range of approaches to any given problem, some of which are novel and some stupid.

John C. Hayes is editor of Diagnostic Imaging.

During the annual meeting of the American College ofRadiology in May, several radiologists peppered thegroup's leadership with concerns over controversialplans for a sweeping overhaul of the certification examinationprocess.

Enhancing collaboration with referring physicians is the focus of a major renovation currently under way at the University of Virginia Health System's radiology department.

Increasing use of imagingservices and rising costs forMedicare have not been kindto radiology providers.

CT angiography of the abdominal aorta is a wellacceptedmodality in the evaluation of bothaneurismal and occlusive disease. In patientswith abdominal aorta aneurysms, it has a major rolein all stages of evaluation.

A 27-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus presented with mild abdominal pain. When questioned, the patient denied experiencing recent weight loss.

Nuclear medicine services in 20European countries, the U.S., andCanada are learning to cope with thepotential daily disruptions in the normalsupply of molybdenum-99 fromthe forced shutdown of the High FluxReactor in Petten, the Netherlands.

The wide-ranging debate within the pages of two of radiology's leadingpeer-reviewed journals includes proposals for yet another dramaticapproach to reforming the residency and testing process: cutting residencyto three years and moving clinical training to a year of fellowship.

High-resolution sonography can accuratelydetect the causes of residual limbpain in amputees, according to Britishresearchers, who found that ultrasoundcan guide proper treatment andrehabilitation, help educate patientsabout their condition, and even helpwith design and fitting of prostheses.

As 2008 drew to a close, so did demandin the U.S. for imaging equipment.The timing couldn't be worse.The crisis in the U.S. credit marketsfelled an already stumbling market forcapital equipment such as MR andCT. Vendors began feeling the pinchin the first half of the year, reflecting adownturn that began last year.

Change may be the byword for the historic election of Sen. Barack Obama as president, but the type of change Obama may bring to the White House won't necessarily be accompanied by the uncertainties and anxieties that come with a sharp departure from the past.

The orthopedic world of tiny structures and joints presents unique challenges in diagnostic imaging. With traditional 1.5T scanning, spatial resolution, imaging speed, and signal-tonoise ratios have left orthopedists wanting more. A new study indicates the move to advanced 3T imaging might be ideal for orthopedics.

The SNM has announcedthe formation of theMolecular Imaging ClinicalTrials Network, a multi-institutionaleffort to establishscientifically sound, efficientways to evaluate proposedclinical applicationsof biomarker imaging.

New evidence suggests conducting screening colonoscopies for people in their mid- 50s saves money. But other evidence indicates there may be an upper age limit for the benefits of such screening.

Women with a weakened brain "reward circuitry" are at increased risk of weight gain over time and potential obesity, according to two studies from researchers at the University of Oregon. The risk increases for women who also have a gene associated with compromised dopamine signaling in the brain.

The U.S. Department of Justice and theFederal Trade Commission are pressuring stategovernments to repeal certificate of need lawsmeant to control healthcare costs by regulatingthe purchase of capital equipment, suchas MRI technology and CT scanners.

Younger women with ductal carcinoma insitu have traditionally been held to have ahigher risk of recurrence than older womenwith the condition. A new study from FoxChase Cancer Center inPhiladelphia, however,challenges this view.

What could be better? A little wine, a littlecheese-with a side of radiation protection.University of Pittsburgh researchers arestudying the radiation protective propertiesof resveratrol, a natural antioxidant commonlyfound in red wine and many plants.

Roger Tsien, Ph.D., addressed the media Oct. 8 after learning he would share the 2008 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Osamu Shimomura, Ph.D., and Martin Chalfie, Ph.D., for the discovery and application of green fluorescent protein as a tagging tool in bioscience and molecular imaging.