Dear Ultrasound Insider,
The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may not be increasing much, but the number of tests being performed for it surely has.
A study from Thomas Jefferson University found sharp increases in the Medicare utilization rate between 2001 and 2013 for the two most common tests for PAD: duplex ultrasound of lower extremity arteries and noninvasive physiologic testing of extremity arteries.
In the study, which was presented at RSNA 2015 in Chicago, the team also found that radiologists have flattened their ultrasound utilization rate for PAD since 2010, but surgeons and cardiologists have continued to show an increase. This raises the question of a possible self-referral problem, according to the researchers.
Our coverage of the study is this newsletter's Insider Exclusive, which you have access to before our regular readers.
In other recent features in your Ultrasound Community, we're highlighting a new series of articles from echocardiographer Doug Wuebben and strength and conditioning coach Mark Roozen on how sonographers can relieve back pain.
In part 3 of the planned seven-part series for AuntMinnie.com, Wuebben and Roozen focus on targeted thoracic spine stretches and exercises. If you missed the first two editions, also be sure to check out part 2 and part 1.
Offering comparable sensitivity to mammography, breast ultrasound may be a good breast cancer screening tool in developing countries in which mammography is not widely available, according to a group led by Dr. Wendie Berg, PhD, of Magee-Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Click here to learn more.
Shear-wave elastography can be a valuable tool for evaluating tendinopathy and assessing treatment response, according to a German study presented at RSNA 2015. Click here to learn more.
In other coverage from RSNA 2015, click here to learn how ultrasound shed light on what happens when people crack their knuckles. Also, researchers from South Korea reported that screening ultrasound can be useful for detecting early-stage thyroid cancer, and it can be performed at a relatively low cost to society. Click here for all the details.
Finally, ultrasound appears to be a better choice than abdominal radiography for diagnosing pediatric intussusception, according to a study from Ireland.
Is there a topic you'd like to see covered? As always, please feel free to drop me a line.
