Dear AuntMinnie Member,
It's a phenomenon that's long been suspected, but it's still surprising when you see the evidence in black and white -- many women with symptomatic uterine fibroids are not told by their gynecologists that uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a treatment option.
That's the word from a study presented this week at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting in Washington, DC. Researchers from the Atlanta area surveyed a group of women who sought treatment for uterine fibroids, and found that only one-third were told that UFE was a viable alternative to surgery. That number dropped to 18% in a subset of patients who went to private-practice gynecologists.
What's behind the information blackout? Is it simply a matter of turf, with gynecologists suspicious because UFE is performed by interventional radiologists, rather than gynecologic surgeons? See for yourself by reading the article, available by clicking here.
In another study presented at the SIR conference, Italian researchers presented a paper showing that vertebroplasty offers major benefits in treating patients suffering from osteoporotic vertebral collapse. The technique relieved back pain in 96% of the nearly 900 patients who were followed over five years. Get more details by clicking here.
You win some, you lose some
In other news, PET advocates received final word yesterday that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would not be expanding coverage of PET to new indications related to infection and inflammation, such as chronic osteomyelitis, infection of hip arthroplasty, and fever of unknown origin.
The decision isn't a total surprise -- CMS had telegraphed its direction in an initial decision announced in December. But it is a blow to PET advocates, and is a sign that the agency continues to cast a suspicious eye on medical imaging, in spite of its retreat earlier this month on a proposal to slash coronary CT angiography payments.
Get the rest of the story in our Molecular Imaging Digital Community, or by clicking here.
