Dear AuntMinnie Member,
September has been dubbed National Vascular Disease Awareness Month in the U.S. by the Legs for Life campaign, a group devoted to promoting early detection of vascular pathologies like peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Ultrasound is an excellent modality for detecting these conditions, so what better time to take a look at the topic in our Ultrasound Digital Community?
A new article in the community by staff writer Erik L. Ridley describes how to set up and run a vascular screening program, based on a recent presentation by Phillip Bendick, Ph.D., of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI.
Selecting the appropriate candidates is a key element of any vascular screening program, Bendick believes. Also crucial is patient education -- screening candidates need to understand what screening can and can't do, and also what it means when they test positive.
Bendick favors using low diagnostic thresholds in order to avoid false negatives, and he provides sample clinical criteria that can be used as a reference standard, for both AAA and peripheral arterial screening. Get the rest of the details on ultrasound vascular screening by clicking here.
In another article in the community, staff writer Shalmali Pal delivers the scoop on using ultrasound to measure tumor response to therapy, based on a presentation at last week's Translational Research in Radiation Oncology and Radiology meeting in San Francisco. That article is available by clicking here.
Finally, Italian researchers say that elastography -- using ultrasound to measure tissue strain -- is a promising technique for predicting malignancy in thyroid nodules. Find out why by clicking here.
Get these stories and more visiting our Ultrasound Digital Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
