Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Our always thought-provoking columnist Dr. Mary Morrison Saltz enters the fray over breast screening this week in her latest Mary's Musings.
Mary touches on the recent mammography controversies, noting that several major studies have been published in recent years that question the effectiveness of breast screening.
She believes that a major problem with mammography is that not all cancers develop at similar rates, and some might never present a threat to the patient's health -- the core of the debate on overdiagnosis and overtreatment. If we knew more about the biology and natural history of cancer, we might be able to better target which cancers should be treated and which ones could simply be monitored, she believes.
Mary concludes with a surprising confession that illustrates how vexing the screening question can be for many women. Find out what it is by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
Birnholz on ultrasound
In other news, Dr. Jason Birnholz is back with his latest Practice of Ultrasound installment.
The article looks back at Dr. Birnholz's involvement in ultrasound from its origins, with the establishment of one of the first sonography clinical services at Massachusetts General Hospital, through today, with ultrasound becoming an increasingly common tool used throughout healthcare.
He also ponders the rise of what he calls "checklist" ultrasound, in which the exam is performed by minimally trained healthcare personnel and ultrasound is used as a gateway to other imaging tools. This differs from the model of sonography performed by highly trained specialists who might be capable of rendering a diagnosis simply with the tools at hand.
In today's era of point-of-care ultrasound and the "electronic stethoscope," it's clear that checklist imaging has won out. But that may not always be the case, especially with new ultrasound technology in development that could lead to major improvements in image quality.
Read more by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Digital Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
UAE in the UAE
Finally, visit our AuntMinnie Middle East special section for a new article on the rise of uterine artery embolization (UAE) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As a minimally invasive treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids, UAE has been gaining traction in the UAE as an alternative to surgery, especially among women who wish to preserve their fertility.
In our new article, radiologists from Tawam and Al Ain Hospitals in Abu Dhabi describe their UAE technique, its safety and efficacy, and its target population. Learn how they do it by clicking here, or visit the section at me.auntminnie.com.
