Dear CT Insider,
Is CT always riskier than MRI for kids? Not necessarily, if you weigh all of the components of the exam, such as the need for deep sedation and general anesthesia with some MRI procedures.
Also, when you consider CT's speed and the degree to which radiation doses have been curbed, it is often the best choice. Get the rest of the story in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
That said, there's every reason to believe that radiation dose will remain the top concern of patients and providers. But there is also reason to be hopeful about the tools that will be available to track and minimize it going forward, according to a recent talk by Dr. James Thrall.
Thrall, who is the radiologist-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, said that information technology will be a huge help in tracking and minimizing radiation dose. Nowhere is the benefit more obvious than in pediatric imaging, where radiation exposure has been reduced by more than 95% for some exams. Read associate editor Cynthia E. Keen's article on the talk by clicking here.
It doesn't require much radiation to add a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease protocol when screening the lungs for cancer, according to a new study from the Netherlands. And it makes the test much more useful for patient management.
Of course, dose doesn't matter for mummies and mastodons. Researchers using CT have unearthed new evidence that mastodon hunting -- and thus the presence of humans -- on the American continent began much earlier than scientists thought. Get the story by staff writer Heather Hokenson here.
In cardiac imaging, coronary artery calcium scoring with CT is still an important predictor of heart disease risk, but it may be cost-effective only in men, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that found a more complicated risk picture in women. Click here for the rest of the story.
Low-kV imaging, which will be an important topic at this year's RSNA meeting in Chicago, is another emerging way to see more with less dose. Get the story here.
Speaking of RSNA, AuntMinnie.com has put together a comprehensive preview of this year's presentations to help you plan for the massive meeting. Don't miss the Road to RSNA CT section.
Finally, be sure to scroll through the links below for the rest of the news in your CT Digital Community.
