Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Radiologists in the U.S. have a new tool for diagnosing focal liver lesions, following the U.S. government's approval of a new indication for the Lumason ultrasound contrast agent from Bracco Diagnostics. So how well does Lumason work for this application?
Pretty well, according to a presentation yesterday at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) meeting in Los Angeles. Associate Editor Kate Madden Yee was on hand to file a report for our Ultrasound Community.
Researchers from India presented results in which 80 patients with focal liver lesions were scanned with ultrasound contrast. They found improvements in sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy -- without the radiation dose of CT or the expense of MRI. Learn more by clicking here.
Is carotid US used appropriately?
In related news, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco wanted to know if ultrasound was being used appropriately for determining whether individuals with asymptomatic carotid stenosis should receive revascularization.
In a study of more than 4,000 scans, they found that only 5.4% were determined to be appropriate -- suggesting that we need to improve our use of evidence-based guidelines for ordering carotid ultrasound studies. Learn more by clicking here, or visit the Ultrasound Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
Virtual consults for referring docs
Radiologists and referring physicians alike long for the day before PACS when patient consultations were personal interactions between peers. Now, researchers from New York hope to bring back at least a vestige of those days with a virtual consulting tool that combines instant messaging with screen sharing. They tested the tool with referring physicians and found that some 85% believed it affected patient management. Get the rest of the story by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Informatics Community at informatics.auntminnie.com.
