Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A new study has found that using ultrasound first for patients suspected of having appendicitis -- and then sending suspicious cases on for CT -- could save money compared to a strategy of evaluating all patients initially with CT.
That's according to a story we're featuring this week in our Ultrasound Digital Community. Based on a study in the January edition of the American Journal of Roentgenology, the article describes how researchers from Thomas Jefferson University developed an imaging protocol based on ultrasound as a first-line evaluation tool for patients suspected of having appendicitis, with CT saved for negative or uncertain cases.
The protocol saved nearly $25 million in direct costs, a number that could rise into the hundreds of millions if costs due to CT's radiation exposure are factored in. Find out how they did it by clicking here.
Another article in the community addresses the controversial issue of preabortion ultrasound scans. A number of states have passed laws requiring women to view ultrasound scans of their fetuses prior to going through with abortions, but a new study casts some doubt on the effectiveness of this practice. Read more by clicking here.
iPhone aids second opinions
How useful is Apple's iPhone for providing second opinions to radiology residents who are on call? Pretty useful, according to a research group from Korea.
The researchers found that residents were able to get useful after-hours advice on inconclusive cases from more experienced radiologists who interpreted images on iPhones rather than PACS workstations.
In fact, there was no statistically significant difference in diagnostic performance between radiologists who used smartphones and those who were attending or on call.
Read more by clicking here, or visit our Advanced Visualization Digital Community at av.auntminnie.com.
USPSTF to review colon screening
Finally, a moment that proponents of virtual colonoscopy have long been waiting for has arrived: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has opened a review of colon screening technologies that includes virtual colonoscopy.
Advocates for the imaging-based colon exam have been waiting for this moment since 2009, when the U.S. government decided against Medicare payments for virtual colonoscopy screening. Since then, they've been working to prove that the technology is at least the equal of conventional optical colonoscopy.
Learn more about the review by clicking here, or visit our CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
