MRI

Screening tool may be ahead of its time, as results of recent trials fail to keep up with imaging advances

Prospective single-site study sets stroke community buzzing about performance of MR imaging versus unenhanced CT for triage of stroke type and severity

Fluoroscopy-guided cement injections ease pain, disabling effects of tumors, arthritis on femoral head

Cardiac CT boosts self-referred utilization, other nonradiology specialists see modest growth

Despite ACRIN 6666 trial results, sonography could still play a role in supplemental screening of high-risk women

Study comparing residents' to attending physicians' reports identifies areas of weakness

Partnership of public and private sectors and academia, resembling coalition built around breast imaging, may bring about 'manogram'

Accuracy of the modality relies on high-quality imaging protocols, a grasp of imaging processing and display, and interpreter experience

Good communication between radiologists, surgeons helps minimize mastectomy rates

Two years of experience with Massachusetts General Hospital’s radiology order entry system indicate the decision-support features embedded in the software cut down on inappropriate image utilization. They also help referring doctors learn the consensus opinions among radiologists concerning the most appropriate imaging application for specific symptomatic indications.

Contrast-enhanced and diffusion-weighted MR imaging can confirm the effects of transarterial chemoembolization treatment on liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Determining the safety of MRI for patients who are implanted with hemodynamic monitoring or temporary pacing devices, including epicardial pacing wires and intracardiac pacing leads, requires careful consideration.

Inspired by vertebroplasty's success, researchers have shown that percutaneous cement injections can also successfully stabilize arthritic and neoplastic lesions affecting the femoral head. The technique offers pain relief and an alternative to surgery for selected patients.

New CT perfusion scanning techniques that are safer and faster than older CT protocols could offer a practical imaging alternative to MR perfusion for stroke patients, according to two studies presented at the 2007 RSNA meeting. Findings also emphasize a new trend for widening the window for thrombolysis.

he explosive growth of Medicare outpatient imaging from 2000 to 2005 explains why federal regulators have singled out radiologists for restraints. Medicare payments for outpatient medical imaging jumped 93% during that period, from $6 billion to more than $11 billion.

The massive American College of Radiology Imaging Network 6666 trial shows that adding ultrasound to the initial breast screening protocol for high-risk women could help detect 30% more cancers, but at the questionable cost of many more needless biopsies of benign lesions.

Prostate cancer imaging experts sent out a clear message in 2007: Prostate cancer in the U.S. has become an unrecognized patient care crisis that needs tackling. The good news is these experts agree that advanced imaging technologies could help in early detection and minimally invasive treatment. The lack of a cohesive national strategy is worrisome, however, and they want to see the adoption of a broad initiative for diagnosing and treating prostate cancer similar to that for breast cancer.

German researchers were stunned to discover that whole-body staging of patients with recently diagnosed malignancies using either MRI or PET/CT could miss a substantial number of metastatic lesions. They released their data at the 2007 RSNA meeting.

Use of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to evaluate the breast is rapidly increasing despite the lack of established standards or clearly defined indications and limited randomized clinical trials. The superior sensitivity of MRI for invasive breast cancer has led to the proliferation of its use. Its variable specificity, however, has limited its utility.

Researchers used a customized search engine to quickly find that most discordant resident versus attending physician preliminary reports involved fractures, liver/kidney lesions, pulmonary nodules, and gastrointestinal wall thickening.

All has been relatively quiet on the nephrogenic systemic fibrosis news front lately, allowing time for reflection and hope in the New Year that gadolinium’s safety image can be reestablished with solid screening protocols to protect the small number of patients at risk.

Investigators begin recruiting the first of 7300 volunteers this month for a massive clinical trial to determine if a combination of blood tests, body measurements, and imaging exam can outperform the Framingham tests for assessing older adults who carry an intermediate risk of a major cardiovascular event, including myocardial infarction and stroke.

Can functional MRI detect the anatomic point of origin of belief in a personal God? That profound physiological and philosophical question has been answered in the affirmative by Mark S. Cohen, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and the UCLA Brain Mapping Center.

Research studies published in November and December demonstrate there are no one-stop radiologic shops for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Each modality is endowed with specific strengths that recommend it as the instrument of choice in specific clinical situations.