Dear AuntMinnie Member,
New research published this month indicates that mammography performed with a digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) system could reduce recall rates by nearly a third.
U.S. investigators compared the performance of a DBT system to that of a standard full-field digital mammography (FFDM) unit, assessing both diagnostic performance and impact on recalls, according to an article by associate editor Kate Madden Yee in our Women's Imaging Digital Community.
The biggest difference was in recall rates, with DBT showing a 30% drop in recalls compared to standard FFDM. Get the rest of the story by clicking here.
In other women's imaging news, Dutch researchers compared full-field digital mammography with computer-aided detection to film-screen mammography in a large screening population. Find out what they discovered with respect to cancer detection and recall rates by clicking here, or visit the Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
Second-trimester US
Also, check out our Ultrasound Digital Community for a story by senior editor Erik L. Ridley that indicates that current Medicare reimbursement policy may be misguided in determining whether pregnant women get more-detailed second-trimester ultrasound scans for fetal abnormalities.
Currently, extensive studies are reserved for women believed to be at higher risk of carrying a fetus with an abnormality. But a new study found that if more-detailed scans are also conducted on women without an elevated risk, they would find 40% of abnormalities that would have gone undetected on the more basic studies.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit the community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com
Self-referral bill update
Finally, news from the front lines of the debate over healthcare reform brings bad tidings for radiology. A proposed amendment that would have closed the in-office exemption in the Stark anti-self-referral law failed to get added to the healthcare reform bill that was passed out of a House of Representatives committee on Friday.
Capitol Hill watchers say it may be much more difficult to have the amendment added as Congress adjourns for its August recess. Learn more by clicking here, or visit the Imaging Center Digital Community at centers.auntminnie.com.
