Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Are legitimate concerns over gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in Europe descending into gadolinium phobia?
That's the suggestion of a debate held at last week's European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, where a panel of experts discussed recent findings showing that gadolinium from MRI contrast agents persists in the brain for years after the agents are administered.
Sparking the debate was an article published in a prominent German newspaper in February that described the gadolinium issue -- but in rather sensationalist terms. The story noted that some doctors have recommended abandoning the use of gadolinium contrast for MRI studies, in particular for children and adolescents.
The article is a sign that unreasonable hysteria is building in Europe over gadolinium, according to the ECR session. Researchers are still learning about the mechanism of gadolinium deposition in the brain, and there's still no evidence that it represents a health risk. Read more about the discussion by clicking here.
You can get this story and more coverage of ECR 2016 by visiting our RADCast @ ECR special section, at radcast.auntminnie.com.
Canadians support CT lung screens
In other news, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on March 7 issued new guidelines recommending CT lung cancer screening for high-risk individuals.
The group advised that low-dose CT should be used to screen individuals ages 55 to 74 who have at least a 30-pack-year smoking history and either currently smoke or quit less than 15 years ago. The group recommends annual screening for up to three years.
The new guidelines are actually a bit more conservative than those adopted in the U.S., which themselves have been criticized for being too conservative. Most of the criteria are the same, with the exception that the age range for the Canadian guidelines tops out at 74, while the U.S. rules go all the way to 80.
Still, adoption of the guidelines is welcome news. Learn more by clicking here, or visit our CT Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
Enterprise content management
Are you a chief information officer (CIO) who is confused about enterprise content management? Don't be -- we're highlighting a new article in our CIO Focus special section that profiles one county-operated hospital in the midst of moving its entire enterprise to a content management platform. Find out how the hospital is doing it by clicking here, or go to cio.auntminnie.com.
