Dear Digital X-Ray Insider,
In a new study on digital tomosynthesis, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, found that the technology offered better sensitivity than conventional chest radiography for detecting lung nodules, at a far lower radiation dose than CT.
In the prospective study of 82 patients, tomo found many more nodules than radiography, with a radiation dose just marginally higher than that of regular x-ray and some 37 times lower than CT.
The question is, so what? Tomo still fell well short of CT's sensitivity in the lung, meaning CT will continue to get the nod for most workhorse applications as well as emerging uses such as lung cancer screening. But tomo could find utility in areas where conventional radiography is being used. Find out what they are in this edition's Insider Exclusive.
In other news, a group of first-year radiology residents from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently had a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology on their analysis of image ordering protocols for patients with suspected pelvic trauma.
They found that a decades-old practice at UCLA of requiring portable pelvic radiographs for incoming trauma patients might not be necessary under certain circumstances. Find out what they are by clicking here.
Other recent articles in your Digital X-Ray Community cover the following:
- A study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine on how to use radiography to identify foreign bodies in patients
- How Japanese radiologists figured out what was causing dark spots on computed radiography images at their facility in the spring of 2011
- Research on when imaging is acceptable for diagnosing traumatic injuries in pregnant patients
Click on the links below for the rest of the news in the Digital X-Ray Community, and be sure to let me know if you have any story ideas in mind.
