Dear AuntMinnie Member,
It's with great sadness that I report the passing last week of Eric Barnes, AuntMinnie.com's international editor. Eric died on July 5 after a sudden illness.
Eric was one of the founding editors of AuntMinnie.com when our site launched at RSNA 1999, and he was instrumental in our growth and success. Over the past 18 years, Eric had become not just a colleague but also a good friend to many of us in the AuntMinnie family.
Eric was passionate about radiology and counted many radiologists as close personal friends. He loved travel, the outdoors, and choral singing, and was an ardent student of linguistics, speaking six different languages.
Please join me in remembering Eric. Our article on his passing can be reached by clicking here.
CTC boosts screening rates
A new study has found that when CT colonography (CTC) is covered by insurance reimbursement, it boosts not only CTC screening but also screening rates for other colorectal cancer screening tests.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin analyzed colorectal cancer screening rates for several different tests over the course of five years at a multispecialty physician group. They found that individuals with CTC coverage had screening rates that were eight times higher than those without coverage.
Not only that, but the subjects also had higher compliance rates for other colorectal cancer screening tests. How much higher? Find out by clicking here, or visit our CT Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
PRAC revises advice on gadolinium contrast
In major news this week, the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency revised its recent guidance on gadolinium contrast agents for MRI exams.
The PRAC several months ago issued a recommendation that four linear-based gadolinium contrast products be pulled from the European market. The guidance contrasted with that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which in May said that it found no evidence of any health effects in patients from retained gadolinium.
Now, PRAC is saying that one of the four agents should remain for sale in Europe -- while sticking to its decision on the other three agents. Learn more about this important story -- and what happens next -- by clicking here for an article on our AuntMinnieEurope.com sister site.
