Dear MRI Insider,
Despite mandates and guidance to implement MRI safety measures, the number of adverse MRI events remains a serious issue for imaging centers and radiology departments.
This issue of the MRI Insider features insights from two longtime MRI safety advocates, who believe more structured training for technologists and radiologists is needed to fight the rising tide of accidents. They also recommend the cultivation of MRI safety officers and directors to help fix potential flaws that could lead to harmful events.
Learn how they are enhancing MRI safety training and read about the experiences of one MRI safety officer in our Insider Exclusive, available to you first as an Insider subscriber.
Another featured article comes from Dublin, where a new study of MRI use at St. James's Hospital paints a complex picture, with higher in-hospital mortality and longer hospital stays for patients who received MRI scans. However, the findings could be due to sicker patients receiving imaging. The researchers also found that healthcare costs increased if MRI scans were ordered but not carried out promptly.
Most U.S. women have relatively easy access to mammography and breast ultrasound, but breast MRI presents a greater challenge, especially for Native American women and those in rural areas. A study from Dartmouth College indicates that geographic access may determine both the availability and use of breast imaging services, which in turn may influence treatment decisions -- and, ultimately, outcomes.
With an eye toward improving the early diagnosis of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, a major multimodality vendor recently revealed that it is developing a compact 3-tesla MRI scanner specifically for head and brain imaging.
Also on the cutting edge are Austrian researchers, who have added PET/CT to a package of three MRI sequences. The fused PET/MR images helped differentiate suspicious breast lesions, and the imaging technique could have widespread applications, according to the group from the Medical University of Vienna.
Be sure to stay touch with the MRI Digital Community on a daily basis for the latest news and research from around the world.
