Dear Pediatric Imaging Insider,
With so much news about overuse of CT exams and the excessive radiation dose to children, it's exciting to learn that the number of pediatric CT scans is declining in children's hospitals throughout the U.S. An article published in the American Journal of Roentgenology reported these statistics, which, needless to say, received minimal attention from the consumer media. If you missed the article, click here to read a summary.
Meanwhile, a case of massive radiation overdose of a toddler at a Northern California hospital in 2008 has finally concluded in an out-of-court settlement. Learn the most recent developments of this still-continuing case in our report from contributing writer Donna Domino.
On a positive note, we're pleased to report about the safety and efficiency of using a portable CT scanner in an intensive care unit, based on a presentation made at the Society for Pediatric Radiology's annual meeting. Click here for the details.
We were also intrigued to learn about a low-tech, low-cost technique that Nationwide Children's Hospital has employed to obtain high-quality pediatric chest CT exams from nearly 100% of its patients. The research is the subject of this newsletter's Insider Exclusive for the Pediatric Imaging Digital Community -- read all about it by clicking here.
If you begin to use the method in your imaging department, send me an e-mail about your results. If enough readers send responses, we'll publish an article reporting them.
Saving the best article for last, features editor Wayne Forrest has reported about plans to expand the Image Gently initiative to pediatric nuclear medicine procedures. Wayne's exclusive interview with Ted Treves, MD, who heads a team of dedicated radiologists volunteering their time to make this happen, is the don't-miss article of this newsletter.
