Dear Digital X-Ray Insider,
A new research paper is bringing more good news about the effectiveness of digital chest tomosynthesis for detecting lung nodules.
A team from Duke University and three other centers compared tomosynthesis to conventional x-ray with a digital radiography (DR) system under conditions designed to approximate a clinical environment. They found that radiologists reading the tomo images had more than three times the sensitivity of those who read conventional DR images.
What's more, tomo's advantage was even greater for 4- to 6-mm lesions -- which present a problem for determining whether they should be followed up. The findings have intriguing implications, and they could even point to a role for tomo in following up suspicious nodules detected on CT lung cancer screening exams. Read more in this edition's Insider Exclusive.
In other news, a new company with a familiar face is entering the x-ray industry this year. Varian Medical Systems is spinning off its Imaging Components business into a few firm, called Varex Imaging, with the deal expected to be completed by the end of the year. Learn more by clicking here.
Portable radiography systems offer a valuable service to patients who aren't mobile. But sometimes portables can be overused -- such as for patients who are perfectly capable of being transported to the radiology department, where fixed-room radiography systems with better image quality are available. Find out how researchers from a hospital in New York reduced their facility's overreliance on portable x-ray by clicking here.
Healthcare providers in the Middle East seem to be getting a better handle on the spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus. Could some of that be due to growing awareness of how the disease looks on chest radiography studies? Find out how imaging has helped by clicking here.
For more news from the world of radiography, check out the stories below:
- California researchers used a novel x-ray technique to find out what makes butterfly wings so colorful.
- Augmented reality isn't just for Pokémon Go -- it also has applications in image-guided surgery.
- The market for digital x-ray detectors is projected to be valued at close to $3 billion by 2021.
- New guidelines are now available for quality control of digital radiography.
- A Maryland x-ray provider received a 10-year prison sentence for billing Medicare for x-rays that weren't reviewed by a radiologist.
These stories and more are available in your Digital X-Ray Community, at xray.auntminnie.com.
