Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The adoption of filmless image management via PACS is revolutionizing workflow at imaging facilities, but it's also having a major impact outside radiology departments and imaging centers.
Take orthopedic practices. Many musculoskeletal specialists are enjoying major benefits from PACS applications developed specifically for orthopedic use, and as a result PACS adoption is growing more quickly in orthopedics than in other specialties. That's according to a new article by contributing writer Mark Hagland that we're featuring this week in our Musculoskeletal Imaging Digital Community.
PACS fits well with the collaborative workflow at orthopedic practices, which need to share images with surgeons, radiologists, and other specialists. And the specialized tools available with PACS, such as surgical templating, enable orthopedic physicians to throw away many now-obsolete tools based on hard-copy film. Get the rest of the details on the story by clicking here.
Also in the community, you'll find a case study on the role of imaging in making differential diagnoses of Baker's cyst, which results when fluid accumulates around the knee. Read the story by clicking here, or visit the Musculoskeletal Imaging Digital Community at msk.auntminnie.com.
In other news, we're featuring coverage in our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community by staff writer Eric Barnes of VC's premier conference, the International Symposium on Virtual Colonoscopy in Boston.
In our first article, learn about how an Italian VC screening study produced good results in a high-risk population. Even though some sites participating in the study used older CT technology, the study produced per-polyp sensitivity of 84% for polyps 1 cm and larger. Get the rest of the story by clicking here.
In our second report, we discuss what needs to happen before virtual colonoscopy can take on a broader screening role in the general population. Recent positive clinical studies have raised hopes that VC would be included in guidelines for colorectal cancer screening -- a development that has yet to happen. Get our update by clicking here.
Finally, get the latest details on a new study, available by clicking here, that indicates that initial colonoscopy with removal of polyps, as opposed to surveillance follow-up colonoscopy, can produce a marked reduction in colorectal cancer deaths.
Get these stories and more in our newly redesigned Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community at vc.auntminnie.com.
