Dear MRI Insider,
Sometimes, the most innocuous things can lead to chaos. Recently, an outbreak of severe infections in patients at a Spanish hospital was caused by a moisturizing body lotion that had been contaminated during the manufacturing process. The offending microbe, generally harmless to healthy people, wreaked havoc in those with compromised immune systems. After exposure, the patients wound up with bloodstream, respiratory tract, and urinary tract infections.
The incident drives home the importance of infection control. But when it comes to the inclusion of a hand sink in the MR suite, how many people are more than happy to wash their hands of all that pipe and porcelain? In the Insider Exclusive, the experts at MRI-Planning.com make a strong case for why those who work with MR need to pay more attention to infection control. Click here to read more.
The MRI Digital Imaging Community also features several articles on neuroimaging. First, physical therapist James Elliott, Ph.D., and colleagues update their research on the role of MR in whiplash. One of their ultimate goals is to develop a diagnostic test to determine the source of whiplash-related chronic pain. Click here for the details.
Investigators in Ireland believe they have pinpointed the brain region that leads to cocaine addiction. Another MRI study noted that prematurely born children demonstrate macrostructural and functional cerebral differences that persist at 12 years of age.
In stroke imaging news, learn why researchers from Israel recommend that pregnant women with transient focal neurologic symptoms undergo a round of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI). And dig into the results of the Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolytic Evaluation Trial (EPITHET), which relied on a PWI and DWI mismatch to evaluate a longer window for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment.
In musculoskeletal imaging, a study presented at the 2008 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting finds that MRI scans are being overutilized in diagnosing knee osteoarthritis, a practice that inflates healthcare costs and sacrifices patient care standards, according to the researchers.
Finally, a team from Philadelphia found that the U.S. could save up to $736 million annually and billions over the next 15 years if ultrasound were used rather than MRI for musculoskeletal imaging when clinically indicated. Click here to learn more.
