In a recent video interview, two radiology professors from the Yale School of Medicine discussed the impact of the iodinated contrast media (ICM) shortage and potential strategies, ranging from ICM dose reduction to possible deferment of non-urgent imaging, that may provide a viable path moving forward.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in radiology right now is the current global shortage of iodinated contrast media (ICM), which is most commonly utilized for computed tomography (CT) exams. With the temporary shortage expected to last until the end of June, radiology departments and larger medical facilities are scrambling to address this issue, which can have a significant impact on patient care.
With this in mind, we recently spoke with two professors from the Yale School of Medicine: Dr. Joseph Cavallo, an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, and Dr. Jay Pahade, an Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Quality and Safety for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.
Dr. Cavallo and Dr. Pahade recently co-authored an article on strategies that imaging facilities may take to address this acute shortage of iodinated contrast media. They outline three central strategies including ICM dose reduction, utilization of alternative imaging modalities and possible deferment of imaging deemed to be non-urgent in nature.
Dr. Pahade called ICM a mission critical agent.
“Most institutions rely heavily on contrast-enhanced CT for the management of their patients both inside and outside of the emergency department (ED). Almost every critical diagnosis in medicine has some arm tied to CT imaging in one fashion or another,” emphasized Dr. Pahade.
For additional insights on the shortage of iodinated contrast media, watch the video below.
Study: PET/MRI May Prevent Up to 83 Percent of Unnecessary Biopsies in Men with PI-RADS 3 Lesions
March 15th 2024For men with PI-RADS 3 lesions, PRIMARY scores of 4-5 with PET/MRI had a sensitivity rate of 87.5 percent for clinically significant prostate cancer, according to newly published research.
The Reading Room Podcast: Emerging Trends in the Radiology Workforce
February 11th 2022Richard Duszak, MD, and Mina Makary, MD, discuss a number of issues, ranging from demographic trends and NPRPs to physician burnout and medical student recruitment, that figure to impact the radiology workforce now and in the near future.
Could Cloud-Based 'Progressive Loading' be a Boon for Radiology Workflows?
March 13th 2024The newly launched Progressive Loading feature, available through RamSoft’s OmegaAI software, reportedly offers radiologist rapid uploading of images that is faster than on-site networks and other cloud-based systems regardless of the network radiologists are using.
Study Says Low-Field MRI Offers Sufficient Diagnostic Quality for Detecting Spinal Pathology
March 11th 2024In a study of patients who had lumbar spine MRI exams at 0.55T, 1.5T and 3T, researchers found that 0.55T MRI provided acceptable diagnostic quality across all sequences for varying pathologies including degenerative joint disease, compression fractures and osseous metastatic disease.