Dear CT Insider,
Have you ever needed a new CT scanner but doubted your ability to get the big purchase approved? Well, fear not, brave imaging professional: Our Insider Exclusive gives you all the tools you need to get the go-ahead for that big capital equipment purchase.
Dr. Geoffrey Rubin understands how hard it is to get the powers that be to write a big check for equipment -- desperately needed or not. Rubin, a professor of radiology and course director of the International Society for Computed Tomography annual meeting, has a six-point plan to get you from point A to point B on your quest -- B meaning powering up your new machine. Don't wait another minute when you can click here today!
And there's more. In thoracic CT, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have found a surprising and rather troubling relationship between interstitial lung abnormalities and in-hospital mortality. As the study team continues to look for image features that might presage death in the sickest patients, an emerging idea is that far too many patients are undiagnosed, which careful CT evaluation can potentially mitigate. You'll find the rest of the story here.
Somewhat related is another study showing the relationship between the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer incidence. It matters because the presence of COPD has not been specifically included in CT lung cancer screening guidelines, but it could be if there were ways to associate risk with disease severity. The results of previous studies addressing this question have been contradictory. For the rest of the story, click here.
In radiation dose optimization, new laws and regulations are certainly helping facilities take dose more seriously. But getting the job done right requires the dedication of real people to do the work, according to a new report from a webinar sponsored by the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine and the European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics. Learn about the importance of software and constant protocol monitoring in a story you'll find here.
How about some good news about radiation? Radiologists carry no excess mortality risk from being radiologists -- at least not for the past 70 years, concludes a report from the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Still, there are some important caveats worth noting.
In CT colonography (CTC), the C-RADS scheme has brought enormous value to the exam, which was recently approved by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force after decades of waiting in the wings. Learn how its careful classification of CTC findings will help the already mature colorectal screening exam move forward.
In the heart, a new study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that CT coronary angiography use has skyrocketed in the new century -- not that it was such a great exam in the last one. But it's worth noting that a lot more people are getting scanned now.
In other news, even very low calcium scores can be associated with myocardial infarction on PET/CT scans, according to a study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging meeting. Find out why here, or by visiting your CT Community.
