Dear CT Insider,
Today was an important one for virtual colonoscopy screening: Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, released (in Radiology) the long-awaited results of a new analysis of the multicenter National CT Colonography Trial data.
In its denial of Medicare coverage for virtual colonoscopy screening in 2009, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cited the paucity of data specifically demonstrating VC's effectiveness in the Medicare population.
Since then, a large study from the University of Wisconsin, and now, the new analysis of National CT Colonography Trial data, are showing that the exam is just as effective in Medicare-aged screening subjects as it is in younger adults. Get the rest of the story here.
The addition of CT perfusion can make a big difference in the staging of lung cancer, according to researchers from Milan. In a presentation at the 2011 RSNA meeting, the group showed how it combined CT perfusion with contrast-enhanced CT and PET/CT. They found that CT perfusion can reveal necrosis in tumors that affects their viability and, as a result, their management. You'll find the rest of the story in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
Radiologists will need all the help they can get to evaluate suspicious lung lesions considering how fast lung cancer has evolved in recent years, according to an important talk by lung cancer expert Dr. Jeffrey Galvin. Click here to find out how he is dealing with the spike in adenocarcinomas.
In cardiac imaging, myocardial perfusion imaging has improved sufficiently to become a viable alternative to SPECT, say researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina. And it pares the complete anatomic and functional evaluation of the heart down to a single exam. You'll find the details here.
CT use is finally leveling off in children, according to researchers from Emory University, who used more recent data than other studies to arrive at their conclusions.
Be sure to scroll through the links below for more coverage of radiology's workhorse modality, trotted out for you daily in your CT Digital Community.
