Dear Pediatric Imaging Insider,
I've just returned from Boston, having attended the Society for Pediatric Radiology's (SPR) annual meeting. Very impressive! Watch for coverage from the conference that we'll be reporting in your Pediatric Imaging Digital Community for weeks to come.
Tipping our hat to the new generation of pediatric radiologists and the huge contribution to the meeting made by clinicians from Children's Hospital Boston, the subject of this newsletter's Insider Exclusive is a national study of imaging utilization for pediatric inpatients. It was provocative -- click here to find out why.
Reducing radiation dose exposure was a major theme in Boston, just as pediatric CT radiation dose has been a major focus of AuntMinnie.com's attention. Contributing writer James Brice reports that CT exams exposed children to 91% of the total radiation dose delivered to pediatric emergency trauma patients at one facility. Another study found that in some cases, chest CT studies might be unnecessary in the ER setting.
You'll also want to read senior editor Erik L. Ridley's report from last month's European Congress of Radiology about the use of ultralow-dose CT for fractures. Ditto for more low-dose coverage, this time presented at RSNA 2009, from international editor Eric Barnes. Click here to read about this innovation.
Speaking of innovations, we'd like to alert you to two: the use of a baby monitor for gating pediatric radiology studies and the use of a mock MRI exam to reduce sedation in children scheduled for real-life studies.
Finally, a request: Many radiologists I met at the SPR meeting weren't aware of this newsletter, and the fact that it provides a consolidated list of all pediatric-related articles published in the past six weeks. After hearing "I wished I'd known about this," I am requesting that you, our knowledgeable readers, let your colleagues know about this time-efficient service! Tell them to go to the E-mail Options tab under User Options, and sign up by checking the Pediatric Imaging box under the AuntMinnie.com Insider List.
