Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Radiology for July 2010. 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.
'Ablate and Wait' Effective for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The use of tumor ablation followed by a period of observation for all patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) listed for transplant may be an effective strategy, as it may eliminate patients whose disease is likely to recur after transplantation, according to an opinion piece published online July 23 in Liver Transplantation.
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Specialties See Modest Compensation Increases in '09
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical specialties saw modest compensation increases in 2009, but many provider organizations are still operating at a substantial loss, according to the findings of the American Medical Group Association's (AMGA) 2010 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey.
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Blinded Radiologists, Expert Witnesses Differ in Conclusions
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Radiologists blinded to clinical outcomes and medico-legal status may be more objective than paid expert witnesses in determining whether a standard of care was met, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology that found 31 radiologists in disagreement with the conclusions of paid medical expert witnesses over the findings of computed tomography (CT) scans used in a lawsuit.
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Mammogram Failure in 40s Mostly Due to Detection Limits
WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Poorer mammographic screening outcomes in women in their 40s compared with older women are mostly due to the reduced ability of mammograms to detect cancer in that age group, as opposed to a faster tumor doubling time, according to research published online July 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Docs, Prostate Patients Show Agreement on Adverse Events
TUESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians tend to note pelvic-related adverse events in reasonable accordance with patients receiving hormone manipulation or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer, according to research published in the August issue of The Journal of Urology.
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Many With Low-Risk Prostate Cancer Get Aggressive Therapy
MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer who have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) threshold below 4.0 ng/mL undergo aggressive local therapy despite having low-risk disease, according to research published in the July 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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EEG Protocol Results Found Similar in Epilepsy Diagnosis
MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- For diagnosing epilepsy in children with new-onset seizures, early electroencephalography (EEG) or later sleep-deprived EEG (SD-EEG) provide similar results and diagnostic utility, according to a study published online July 12 in the Archives of Neurology.
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Radiation May Decrease Rate of Gynecomastia in Prostate Cases
MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- Prophylactic breast irradiation may decrease the rate of gynecomastia in prostate cancer patients receiving bicalutamide; however, with a relatively low number of men significantly bothered by this issue, not all patients need this prophylaxis, according to research published in the August issue of The Journal of Urology.
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Pelvic Radiation in Girls Tied to Higher Stillbirth Risk
FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Female survivors of childhood cancer treated with pelvic radiation have a much higher risk of stillbirth and neonatal death in their offspring than do females who did not get radiation, but there is no increased risk for male survivors who received gonadal radiation, according to research published online July 23 in the The Lancet.
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Knee OA Can Be Predicted From MRI Findings Decade Earlier
THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The type of subacute knee injury seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at initial examination can predict the features of knee osteoarthritis (OA) likely to develop in the years ahead, according to a study published online June 29 in Radiology.
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5.2 Percent of Residency Applicant Essays Plagiarized
TUESDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- About 5 percent of the application essays to residency programs -- often referred to as the personal statement -- contain plagiarized material, according to research published in the July 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Serial CT Angiography Detects Plaque Morphology Changes
FRIDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- Evaluation of coronary plaques with serial computed tomography angiography (CTA) allows interval changes in plaque morphology to be assessed, and statin treatment is linked to decreases in markers associated with plaque instability, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, eGFR Aid in Risk Stratification
FRIDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with and without diabetes, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are valuable for risk stratification, and underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) in diabetes patients is linked to an increased risk of cardiac death, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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'Ghosts' After Heart Device Removal Linked to Infection
FRIDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of "ghosts" -- or intracardiac masses noted on echocardiography after device removal -- suggests device infection and may be associated with cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE); these ghosts are present in 8 percent of patients after percutaneous device removal, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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Algorithm for Quantification of Stenosis Severity Feasible
THURSDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- Quantitative coronary computed tomography angiography (QCCTA) has good correlations with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) for quantification of stenosis severity in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, with QCCTA showing better positive predictive value than visual analysis, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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BMIPP Data Improve Acute Coronary Syndrome Diagnosis
THURSDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- Use of β-methyl-p-[123I]-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) data in addition to initially available information can help with the early diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), according to research published in the July 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Breast Density Not a Risk Factor for BRCA Carriers
MONDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Although breast density is a risk factor for breast cancer in the general population, it does not appear to increase risk in women with BRCA mutations, according to research published online July 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Superior for Stroke Diagnosis
MONDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is accurate and appears to be more useful than noncontrast computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing acute ischemic stroke within 12 hours after symptoms appear; however, there is not enough evidence to support or refute the efficacy of perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) in diagnosing acute ischemic stroke, according to an analysis published in the July 13 issue of Neurology.
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Cardiac Imaging Confers Substantial Radiation Exposure
THURSDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- For many patients, cardiac imaging that uses ionizing radiation results in substantial radiation exposure, with annual effective doses increasing with age, according to research published online July 7 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Radiation Training May Be Lacking in Cardiology Fellows
THURSDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Cardiology fellows appear to be inadequately educated about radiation safety, according to research published in the July 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Many Doctors in Specialties Other Than Their Early Choices
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Ten years after graduation, approximately one-fourth of doctors work in a specialty other than the one they chose in their third year post-graduation, according to research published online July 6 in BMJ.
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SPECT Imaging Helps Judge Sudden Cardiac Death Risk
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) greater than 35 percent, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) can help identify those at higher risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to a study in the July 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Bone Area Predicts Defect Development, Cartilage Loss
FRIDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD) predicts cartilage defect development but not cartilage loss, while bone area predicts both cartilage loss and defect development, according to a study in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Report Addresses Physician Financial Conflicts in Care
THURSDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a new report, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that ensure financial relationships between physicians and industry do not result in conflicts of interest that influence patient care.
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Small Polyps Found in Virtual Colonoscopy Rarely Malignant
THURSDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Small polyps discovered in computed tomography colonography (CTC) rarely contain high-grade dysplasia or are malignant, and the malignancy rate for large polyps discovered in CTC is less than 1 percent, suggesting that less aggressive management of lesions detected by CTC may be warranted, according to research published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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