U.S. physicians ordered fewer non-emergency CTs in 2010 than in the previous nine years. Emergency CT use continues to grow.
U.S. physicians ordered fewer non-emergency CTs in 2010 than in the previous nine years, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals and Jefferson Medical College searched Medicare Part B databases from 2000 to 2010, the most recent year showing when and in what setting CTs were ordered.
Researchers found that while the CT utilization rate increased each year, from 325 per 1,000 patients in 2000 to 637 per 1,000 in 2009 - a compound annual growth rate of 7.8 percent - the rate dropped to 626 per 1,000 in 2010, a drop of 1.7 percent.
The decrease in CT use was more in non-emergency settings; emergency CT use continues to grow. Researchers also found:
• Inpatient CTs increased 5.5 percent from 2000 to 2009, dropped 4.5 percent in 2010;
• Outpatient CTs increased 5.1 percent from 2000 to 2009, dropped 3.6 percent in 2010;
• Private office CTs increased 11.3 percent from 2000 and 2009, dropped 7.8 percent in 2010;
• Emergency department CTs increased 15.2 percent from 2000 to 2009 and continued to grow by an additional 8.4 percent in 2010.
“After years of rapid growth, CT use in the Medicare population declined by 1.7 percent in 2010,” the authors concluded. If the emergency departments were not calculated in the overall numbers, the decline would have been 4.7 percent. This drop in CT use should help alleviate concerns about the overly rapid growth of CT use, the authors added.
Can Polyenergetic Reconstruction Help Resolve Streak Artifacts in Photon Counting CT?
July 22nd 2024New research looking at photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) demonstrated significantly reduced variation and tracheal air density attenuation with polyenergetic reconstruction in contrast to monoenergetic reconstruction on chest CT.
Systematic Review: PET/MRI May be More Advantageous than PET/CT in Cancer Imaging
July 18th 2024While PET/MRI and PET/CT had comparable sensitivity for patient-level regional nodal metastases and lesion-level recurrence, the authors of a systematic review noted that PET/MRI had significantly higher accuracy in breast cancer and colorectal cancer staging.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
FDA Clears Enhanced Mobile CT System with High-Resolution Photon-Counting Technology
July 15th 2024Photon-counting CT-optimized features with the OmniTom Elite system include 30 cm field of view scanning, continuous spiral scanning, and an ultra-high-resolution capability of 0.141 mm resolution.