Dear Musculoskeletal Imaging Insider,
In the last edition of the MSK Insider, we addressed the issue of musculoskeletal ultrasound of the shoulder. In this edition, we take ultrasound farther down the body with an article on the cost-effectiveness of the modality for foot and ankle imaging.
A group from Yale University in New Haven, CT, conducted ultrasound examinations of the foot and ankle to see whether the modality added worthwhile information on orthopedic conditions without breaking the bank. They found that ultrasound performed well from an image quality perspective, was easy to use, and saved money compared to other modalities.
Read all about their research in our Insider Exclusive, which you can access before other members of AuntMinnie.com.
Across the pond, U.K. researchers conducted a cost-effectiveness study of their own, this time of musculoskeletal MRI. They wanted to find out if a recent change in National Health Service policy that allows general practitioners to refer patients directly to MRI was more cost-effective than the old policy of requiring them to see an orthopedic physician first.
Although direct MRI referrals resulted in slightly higher costs per patient, use of the modality paid for itself through improved patient outcomes and better quality of life. Learn more about the study by clicking here.
In other news in the Musculoskeletal Imaging Digital Community, U.S. researchers examine whether the types of markers used in digital templating with radiography affect study accuracy in a story you can read by clicking here. In addition, another U.S. group looks at using FDG-PET to distinguish benign spinal lesions from malignant ones in an article available here.
