Diagnostic Imaging

Radiologists use diagnostic imaging to non-invasively look inside the body to help determine the causes of an injury or an illness, and confirm a diagnosis. Providers use many imaging modalities to do so, including CT, MRI, X-ray, Ultrasound, PET and more.

probably benign abnormalities on mammogram

DBT reduces number of unnecessary biopsies while maintaining cancer detection rate

Compared to using standard or full-field digital mammography (FFDM), administering mammograms with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reduces the risk of benign biopsies while maintaining a favorable cancer detection rate, according to research out of the U.K.

March 20, 2019

Emergency callbacks due to imaging discrepancies ring up $2K-plus per pediatric patient

Over a recent eight-month period, children were not often called back to the ER of an academic children’s hospital in California due to discrepant radiology reports. However, the few who had to go back for a second look rang up additional charges to the tune of an average $2,289 per patient.

March 15, 2019
Holding Breath

Abdominal MRI patients move less when holding breath at end of exhale

To cut respiratory motion artifacts on liver MRI, have patients hold their breath at the end of an exhale rather at the end of an inhale. That’s the recommendation of Stanford researchers after testing and comparing the two techniques, and it holds for unenhanced and contrast-enhanced scans.

March 11, 2019

MITA commends breast density notification requirement

“This legislation is an important step in ensuring patients are appropriately notified about their risk of breast cancer so they can make informed decisions about their care,” Dennis Durmis, chair of MITA’s Board of Directors, said in a prepared statement. 

February 26, 2019
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Ultrasound assesses bone health similarly to DXA, study finds

Ultrasound scans of the calcaneus—or the heel bone—were equal to results gathered from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for assessing bone health, according to new research published online in the March issue of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.  

February 26, 2019
Danish researchers reported in Radiology that an artificial intelligence system was able to interpret more than 114,000 screening mammograms using a reading protocol with high sensitivity and specificity.

Can radiologists who interpret mammograms make the switch to DBT?

Radiologists who interpret traditional two-dimensional (2D) mammograms required little time in transitioning to reading digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) exams or three-dimensional (3D) mammograms, and improved their accuracy in cancer detection, according to research published online Feb. 26 in Radiology.  

February 26, 2019

SABR improves survival for early, inoperable lung cancer patients

Stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SABR) nearly doubled the overall survival of patients with inoperable stage I lung cancer compared to standard radiotherapy, according to results of a multi-center phase III trial published in the Lancet Oncology.

February 20, 2019

fMRI reveals nerve stimulation could ease emotional, physical pain in PTSD patients

The FDA has approved nerve stimulation for treatment of episodic and chronic cluster headaches and acute migraines. The findings, detailed in a study published online Feb. 13 in PLOS ONE, could help personalize treatment for PTSD, which according to the National Institute of Mental Health impacts roughly 3.6 percent of U.S. adults per year. 

February 20, 2019