Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been in the headlines recently, mostly for its newly opened review of breast screening guidelines. But the USPSTF this past week also completed a review of another imaging-based screening exam, for carotid artery stenosis.
The USPSTF gave carotid artery screening a "D" grade and advised against it, finding that screening's harms outweigh its benefits in preventing stroke. The move is hardly a surprise, as it echoes previous USPSTF reviews performed in previous years.
But did the USPSTF give a fair shake to the benefits of carotid artery screening, which frequently include ultrasound, one of the most noninvasive imaging modalities? Several commentators on the policy thought so.
AI: Friend or foe?
Much has already been written about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on radiology. Is AI a cold, computerized tool that will cut a swath through radiologist jobs? Or is it a software savior that will free radiologists from low-value image interpretation tasks and become once again the physician's physician?
A new point/counterpoint article examines these issues and more -- read the perspectives on AI of four radiology thought leaders.
In other AI-related content we're featuring, read about AI executive Jeff Sorenson's thoughts on AI in healthcare, and get the scoop on an AI algorithm that was able to predict patients' risk for future cardiovascular events by quantifying their coronary artery calcium on routine chest CT exams.
These stories and more are available in our Artificial Intelligence Community.
Last week of SalaryScan
Finally, this coming week is your last chance to participate in our SalaryScan survey, in which we're updating our database of compensation and benefits in radiology. Up-to-date, accurate data are key to making SalaryScan valuable to you and the rest of the radiology field, so we urge you to fill out our short survey today. All responses are totally anonymous.
