Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A study published today in Cancer dropped a bombshell on the field of dental radiology: People who have received frequent dental x-rays have experienced higher rates of meningiomas, the most frequently reported type of brain tumor.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital led a team that studied more than 1,400 patients who were diagnosed with meningioma and compared them to a similar group without the disease. The patients with the tumors reported that they were twice as likely to have received a bitewing exam, with the level of risk varying depending on the age at which the studies were done.
But the findings come with some caveats. While it's believed to be the largest observational study to date, it lacks the power of a randomized controlled clinical trial. Also, radiation levels used in dentistry -- much like in radiology -- are much lower now than they were in the past.
To read the rest of the story in our Digital X-Ray Community, click here.
FDA to review ABUS device
In other news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tomorrow is set to review a premarket approval (PMA) application for an automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) scanner for use in breast screening applications.
ABUS systems are designed such that the scanner's transducer sweeps across the breast in an automated fashion, rather than using the freehand techniques that are currently commonplace in breast ultrasound. Proponents believe that ABUS technology is more reproducible and efficient than freehand scanning.
U-Systems, the company applying for the PMA, already has 510(k) clearance to market the scanner as an adjunct to mammography, but if it gets the go-ahead for the new indication, the technology would become available to many more women. Learn more about the technology by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
