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Radiology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in radiology.

Is SAMHSA to Blame for a Broken Mental Health System?

Two members of Congress differ on how to fix a failing system

Post-Op CT Scans May Improve Lung Cancer Survival

4-year survival rate up 12 percentage points in patients having scans

Patient Registries See Promise and Challenges Ahead

Physician-driven registries adapt to a changing health system

Ultrasound After Steroid Shots Helps Slightly in Managing Knee OA

Changes visualized after intra-articular injections are small and of borderline utility.

EKG Abnormalities Common in SLE

About one in three SLE patients affected.

Separating Spondyloarthritis From Back Pain Still Problematic

Spinal MRI criteria don't help differentiate SpA from nonspecific pain.

Scoring System for Lung Cancer Screening Debuts

Radiologists to get tools for grading suspicious lesions.

Knee Surgery Linked to Higher OA Risk

Can meniscus repairs actually worsen joint damage?

Mammograms: Less Pain, Risk-Based Screens?

Breast cancer screening after 40, a more comfortable mammogram.

RSNA: Pituitary May Link Brain Injury and PTSD

Hormone treatment might be useful.

Atherosclerosis a Signal for Brain Drain?

Plaque burden was linked to cognitive impairment in a population-based study.

Skull Size Tied to Disability Risk in MS

BOSTON -- Multiple sclerosis patients with larger intracranial volumes -- a measure of their lifetime maximal brain size -- scored better on cognition and physical function tests than those with smaller skull sizes.

BCS: 'Jolie Effect' Drives Genetic Test Referrals

SAN FRANCISCO -- Referrals for genetic testing almost doubled in the first 6 months after actress Angelina Jolie said she would undergo bilateral mastectomy after testing positive for BRCA1 mutation.

MRI Helps ID Heart Risk in Scleroderma

LIVERPOOL -- Cardiac MRI could help provide diagnostic information about potential arrhythmogenic events among patients with scleroderma being considered for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, a researcher said here.

CT Appears Safe in Patients With Pacemakers, ICDs

Patients with cardiac rhythm management devices showed no clinically significant major or minor events related to computed tomography imaging over a 10-year period at two large-volume care centers, researchers reported.

Which Bullets Are Safe in an MRI?

Don't go ballistic -- only steel bullets will cause problems in MRI, says a study of 39 kinds of the projectiles.

FDA: Nipple Test No Substitute for Mammogram

A nipple aspirate test shouldn't take the place of mammography or otherwise be used on its own to screen for breast disease, the FDA warned.

ADHD: Brain Iron May Be Marker

CHICAGO -- Low Fe levels in the brain may signal the presence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers reported here.

Radiation Safe in Unbiopsied Lung Cancer

CHICAGO -- Treating people with stereotactic body radiation for suspected -- but unbiopsied -- lung cancers appears to allow for acceptable local control of the disease with low toxicity, researchers reported here.

New Nerve Tracer Not Ready for Routine Use?

CHICAGO -- The radiotracer iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine may be a new tool for cardiac imaging, but whether it's ready for routine use in most practices was debated by nuclear cardiologists here.

Death Spurs GE to Recall Scanning System

The FDA announced on Monday a class I recall of GE Healthcare's nuclear medicine systems stemming from a patient death reported last month.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

PML Not Fatal if Caught Early

SAN DIEGO - All multiple sclerosis patients taking natalizumab (Tysabri) who were diagnosed with a serious condition called PML before symptoms appeared were still alive a year later, researchers said.

Early Radiation Boosts Prostate Cancer Survival

ORLANDO -- Immediate radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy led to a 50% increase in long-term biochemical progression-free survival for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, according to a study reported here.

Type of Contrast May Mean More Comfortable CT

CHICAGO -- Patients who underwent abdominal or pelvic CT imaging with a low-osmolar contrast agent reported more discomfort during the exam than patients who received an iso-osmolar agent, researchers said here.

Climbers Face Lasting Effects if Brain Swells

CHICAGO -- Extreme mountaineers who develop serious brain swelling at altitude appear to have lasting evidence of small hemorrhages in their brains, researchers said here.

Cardio Notes: Sex Improves with Stenting

Opening the arteries of those with stable coronary disease also opens the door to an improved sex life. Also this week, bariatric surgery helps remodel the heart.

Young Women Skip Mammo After USPSTF Recs

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rates of screening mammography among women younger than 50 declined within 2 months of a negative recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and have remained below baseline rates, according to a study reported here.

Lying Prone for Radiation Best for Breast Tx

Lying face down for radiation therapy lessens the amount of collateral damage to breast cancer patients' heart and lungs, researchers found.

Abuse of OTC Drug Mimics Kidney Stones

SAN DIEGO -- Stone deposits caused by abuse of an over-the-counter drug used to treat excess mucus may mimic kidney disorders, a researcher said here.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

Oral Shield Cuts Radiation to Normal Tissue

PHOENIX -- Patients with head and neck cancer had substantial sparing of oral mucosa when they used custom-made dental stents to shield normal tissue from radiation therapy, data from a small clinical series showed.

Jaw Necrosis Common after Radiation for Oral Cancer

PHOENIX -- Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw occurred more than twice as often in patients treated for oral cancer as reported in the literature, according to a population-based study.

Gastric Ca Survival Rates Down, Chemo Use Up

SAN FRANCISCO -- A decline in survival rates in stage IV gastric cancer coincides with the increased use of chemotherapy rather than radiation and surgery, researchers found.

New Guideline on Transverse Myelitis Released

Certain clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings can help determine the etiology and prognosis in patients presenting with transverse myelitis, according to a new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology.

RSNA: Growth Hormone May Help Heavy Women With Bone Problems

CHICAGO -- Premenopausal women who are obese may not be spared from osteopenia, as some research has suggested, but growth hormone therapy may help spur bone formation, researchers said here.

Lung Biopsy Risks Not Uncommon

Needle biopsy of suspicious lung nodules isn't as benign as often thought, according to a population-based study that quantified the risks in community practice.

Level of Diastolic Function Predicts Death

The presence of moderate or severe diastolic dysfunction in patients with preserved systolic function independently predicted mortality, a retrospective study determined.

Lab Notes: Red Wine Before Radiation and Red Clover for Hair Loss

Red is the color of the day, as components of red wine and red clover lead this week's Lab Notes, but the blues get their turn in the spotlight, too, as depressed people outshine cheerier folks in some elements of decision making.

Cardiologist Who Revealed Echo Errors Out of a Job

MILWAUKEE -- A cardiologist whose research at a national medical meeting revealed that other doctors at her hospital were misreading a substantial number of diagnostic echocardiograms has been fired by that hospital, the Journal Sentinel and 番茄社区 have learned.

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