Dear CT Insider,
Are you looking for new ways to reduce CT radiation dose? Have you tried automating how you set your scanner's tube voltage?
Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and other institutions did just that, testing automated tube voltage selection at 86 centers on more than 160,000 scans. They found substantial dose savings in almost every application, although dose did increase for a few procedures. Learn how and why in our Insider Exclusive.
In CT lung cancer screening, one key group still has its doubts, and that's patients. Soon after the release of a study showing that some patients use the scans as a license to keep on smoking, a new report indicates that many screening patients are scared that the scans will reveal something bad.
There's another group that's been slow to come on board regarding lung cancer screening, and that's pulmonologists. Hopefully they've come around, especially considering the recent news that lung cancer screening doesn't increase surgical rates.
Also on the lung cancer screening front is news that screening is beneficial in shorter-term smokers. The findings could potentially open the door to millions of new screening subjects.
How will radiologists handle all of the new nodules? Maybe with a hybrid computer-aided detection scheme that puts together the best methods used in previous algorithms. Get the details by clicking here.
The news hasn't been all rosy for CT screening this year. CT colonography (CTC) was pointedly not added to the list of recommended colorectal cancer screening tests by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in its October 6 draft recommendation.
But CTC may yet have its day. In an interesting twist, USPSTF did not assign a letter grade to CTC -- meaning that the "B" exam rating that would compel reimbursement of CTC under the Affordable Care Act (as it did for lung cancer screening) may come in a future review.
These stories are only a start. Scroll through the links below for the rest of the news about radiology's biggest, baddest modality -- right here in your CT Community.
