Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Radiology for April 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Screening Benefits Women in 40s With High Breast CA Risk
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women in their 40s, with at least a two-fold increased risk of breast cancer, benefit from biennial screening mammography; and having extremely dense breasts or first-degree relatives with breast cancer is associated with a two-fold increased risk of breast cancer for women in their 40s, according to two studies published in the May 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Abstract - van Ravesteyn
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Abstract - Nelson
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Imaging Provides Clues to Distribution of Fat in Children
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- The use of imaging studies has contributed to an understanding of differences in fat distribution and their link to metabolic disease in childhood, according to research published online April 22 in Obesity Reviews.
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Prevalence, Patterns of Modic Changes in Spine Described
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Modic changes (MCs) are frequently detected in the lumbar spine, and their presence is associated with age, according to a study published online April 20 in The Spine Journal.
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Childhood Socioeconomic Status Affects Brain Volume
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood socioeconomic status affects hippocampal volume in older adults, after adjusting for adult socioeconomic status, gender, education, and other factors, according to a study published in the May issue of the Annals of Neurology.
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Early Menopause Ups Risk of Osteoporosis, Fractures, Death
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- The occurrence of menopause before age 47 correlates with increased osteoporosis at age 77, increased incidence of fragility fractures, and increased mortality, according to a study published online April 25 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
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Low-Dose CT Noninferior for Diagnosing Appendicitis
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For young adults with suspected appendicitis, low-dose computed tomography (CT) is noninferior to standard-dose CT with respect to negative appendectomy rates, according to a study published in the April 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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No Benefit of Induction Chemo, High-Dose Boost in Anal Cancer
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Neither induction chemotherapy (ICT) nor high-dose radiation boost is associated with an improvement in five-year colostomy-free survival (CFS) in patients with locally advanced anal canal carcinoma (LAACC), according to a study published online April 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Ultrasound May Safely Rule Out DVT in Pregnancy
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For pregnant and postpartum women, a single complete compression ultrasonography may safely exclude a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, according to a study published online April 24 in BMJ.
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QRS Width on ECG Linked to Sudden Cardiac Arrest in CAD
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), QRS width on electrocardiogram and echocardiographic evidence of heart failure are associated with out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), regardless of whether they have a history of previous myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published in the May 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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FDA: Clinicians Urged to Stop Using Certain Ultrasound Gel
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals, clinics, and health care professionals should immediately discontinue using Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel due to risk of bacterial contamination in certain batches, according to a safety communication issued April 18 by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
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Indomethacin Cuts Incidence of Post-ERCP Pancreatitis
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- For patients who undergo endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a single dose of rectal indomethacin immediately after the procedure is associated with a significantly reduced incidence of pancreatitis, according to a study published in the April 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Pattern of Disc Degeneration Impacts Low Back Pain
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Contiguous, multilevel disc degeneration (CMDD) is associated with increased likelihood of low back pain (LBP) and pain severity compared with skipped level disc degeneration (SLDD), according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Spine.
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For Obese, Deep Organs Receive Lower Doses of Radiation
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- For obese individuals, organs deep within the abdomen may receive lower doses of radiation than the organs of normal-weight individuals, with the same scanner operating parameters, according to a study published online April 5 in Physics in Medicine and Biology.
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Frequent, Older Dental X-Rays Linked to Brain Cancer
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Frequent bitewing or panorex dental X-rays taken on previous generations of machines are linked to an increased risk of intracranial meningioma, according to a study published online April 10 in Cancer.
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Insurers Should Screen Older Smokers for Lung Cancer
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Lung cancer screening with low-dose spiral computed tomography could be of substantial value in high-risk smoker populations over the age of 50, and commercial insurers should consider providing coverage for the screening, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.
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Radiation Exposure High for Patients With GI Disorders
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disorders and other organic and functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are exposed to high levels of annual and cumulative diagnostic radiation, according to a study published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Asymptomatic High-Risk Adults Often Have Pancreatic Lesions
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Screening of asymptomatic high-risk individuals (HRIs) for pancreatic cancer often detects pancreatic lesions, many of which are proven or suspected neoplasms, according to a study published in the April issue of Gastroenterology.
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Wire Grill Brush Bristles Pose Unexpected Danger
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- For patients presenting with odynophagia or abdominal pain, physicians should consider the possibility of inadvertent wire brush bristle ingestion after eating grilled meat, according to a report published in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
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Increased Breast Cancer Risk With False-Positive Test
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- Women with false-positive mammogram tests remain at significantly higher risk of breast cancer for six or more years, compared to women with negative tests, but the size of the excess risk has decreased since the early 2000s, according to a study published online April 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Medical Malpractice Claims Incur Substantial Defense Costs
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Defense costs for medical malpractice claims vary among specialties and are higher for claims that result in indemnity payments, according to a letter published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Extensive Neuroanatomic Abnormalities Found in Epilepsy
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood-onset temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with neuroanatomic abnormalities, although age-related brain changes are largely comparable for those with epilepsy and for controls, according to a study published online April 3 in Epilepsia.
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Mammogram Plus MRI or Ultrasound Catches More Cancer
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to annual mammography results in a higher rate of detection of incident breast cancers, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Obesity Epidemic in U.S. Worse Than Previously Thought
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- The body mass index (BMI) substantially underdiagnoses obesity when compared to the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, a direct simultaneous measure of body fat, muscle mass, and bone density, according to a study published online April 2 in PLoS One.
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Study Estimates Overdiagnosis From Mammography Screening
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a mammography screening program leads to a substantial amount of overdiagnosis, according to a study published in the April 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Operator Sleep Deprivation Does Not Adversely Affect PCI
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed in the middle of the night does not impact the same operator's ability to perform PCI the next day, according to a study published online March 30 in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.
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