Medical Imaging

Physicians utilize medical imaging to see inside the body to diagnose and treat patients. This includes computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, angiography,  and the nuclear imaging modalities of PET and SPECT. 

ASNC: CAC scoring may change patient management, not outcomes

DENVERIncorporating coronary artery calcium screening (CAC) into practice can change the diagnoses and management of coronary artery disease (CAD), however, it may still be too early to tell how it will impact patient outcomes, Tim M. Bateman, MD, co-director of cardiovascular radiologic imaging at Mid America Heart Institute, Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, said during a presentation Sept. 11 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific session.

ASNC: CTA may have a role for a-fib patients, but still tricky

DENVERCoronary CT Angiography (CCTA) is not indicated for use in atrial fibrillation (AF) patents due to the problems it causes in terms of diagnostic accuracy, Thomas C. Gerber, MD, PhD, of the division of cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla., said during a presentation Sept. 10 at the annual scientific sessions of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC). However, cardiac CT may be beneficial in some instances for this patient population when the right methods are used.

Health Affairs: Ortho may be better than heart conditions for bundled payments

In an analysis of Medicare data, researchers determined that hospitals faced lower financial risks for treating patients with hip fractures and joint replacements in a pilot program on bundled payment, which also assessed congestive heart failure and stroke. Increasing the episode length captured more costs and readmissions but did not add an equivalent amount of financial risk, they concluded in a study published in the September issue of Health Affairs.

ASNC: Future of nuclear cardiology remains unknown

DENVERAs the future model of healthcare reform is not yet set in stone, those working in nuclear cardiology must first get a grip on how to modify the current system to charge less per service rather than compromising care with less volume, William A. Van Decker, MD, professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said during a presentation Sept. 9 at this years American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific sessions.

ASNC: Techs play lead role in PET, CT dose reduction

DENVERAs important players within the medical community work to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from medical imaging, integrating protocols and strategies, such as shielding, can help reduce dose, James A. Case, PhD, of Cardiovascular Imaging Technologies in Kansas City, said during a presentation Sept. 9 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) meeting.

ACR finds glaring gaps in Haiti's radiology infrastructure

Last year, the American College of Radiology (ACR) established the Haiti Radiology Relief Fund in response to the devastating earthquake near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, and the groups efforts, as well as the state of radiology in the still-rebuilding country, are examined online in the September ACR Bulletin.

New $4M grant to study IT's effect on tracking HIV/AIDS in Africa

A consortium led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, N.Y., has received a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to spearhead the Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (CA-IeDEA).

JNCI: Concurrent chemo, radiotherapy for lung cancer boosts survival

Treating some lung cancer patients with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy significantly increased five-year survival rates vs. waiting to treat patients with radiation therapy after completing chemotherapy, according to a study published Sept. 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Around the web

To fully leverage today's radiology IT systems, standardization is a necessity. Steve Rankin, chief strategy officer for Enlitic, explains how artificial intelligence can help.

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.