Growth Of CT Scan Use May Lead To Significant Public Health Problem

Computed Tomography (CT) scans are an increasingly used X-ray-based tool for providing a three-dimensional view of a particular organ or tissue. The value of CT scanning to diagnose injury, cancer and other health problems is undisputed. But are these scans being used too frequently, in some cases unnecessarily" What are the health consequences of having too many CT scans over the course of a person's life"

In a Nov. 29, 2007 article in The New England Journal of Medicine, David J. Brenner, Ph.D., and Eric J. Hall, Ph.D., from the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center, argue that the potential carcinogenic effects from using CT scans may be underestimated or overlooked. This is of particular concern, because perhaps one-third of all CT scans performed in the United States may not be medically necessary, the radiation researchers say.

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Radiation Exposure Of Pregnant Women More Than Doubles In 10 Years

The past decade has seen an unprecedented increase in the use of radiologic exams on pregnant women, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Through medical imaging examinations, we are exposing pregnant women to twice the amount of radiation as we did 10 years ago," said Elizabeth Lazarus, M.D., assistant professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, R.I. "Overall, the levels of radiation to which we are exposing pregnant women are low, but they do carry a slight risk of harm to the developing fetus."

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Ethnicities, Cultures, Backgrounds Affect Attitudes Toward Mammography

Black and Hispanic women have a different understanding of screening mammography compared with that of Caucasian women, according to the findings of a Boston University Medical Center survey presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Limited understanding of mammography still exists across different ethnic and socioeconomic groups," said Nazia F. Jafri, M.D., medical intern at Mount Auburn Hospital in Boston. "Increased community outreach and education targeted at minority and underserved women may lead to better breast cancer prognoses in these groups."

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MDs Balance Pros, Cons of 'Super X-Ray'

A type of "super X-ray" showed promise in its first big test as a potentially cheaper, faster and painless way to find out whether certain people with signs of heart disease actually have it and need treatment. The scans might eliminate the need for some of the 1.3 million cardiac catheterizations done each year in the United States to check for clogged arteries, said Dr. Julie Miller of Johns Hopkins University.

But the newer scans are controversial: Medicare and private insurers are debating whether to pay for them, and many heart specialists oppose them, partly because they supply a big dose of radiation. That raises the risk of cancer and might spur thousands of additional cases if the scans were widely used in the population, said Dr. Michael Lauer of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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Skin injuries to patients can be avoided when radiation dose is monitore

Maximum radiation skin dose during coronary angioplasty can be accurately determined by monitoring the total entrance skin radiation dose as the patient is being examined and dividing that number in half according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. By knowing the maximum radiation skin dose, radiologists can avoid skin injury to the patient, the researchers said.

Angioplasty, is a procedure that helps treat narrowed coronary arteries. "Many patients benefit greatly from procedures such as angioplasty, however, a major disadvantage associated with these procedures is patient radiation exposure," said Koichi Chida, PhD, lead author of the study. "In most cardiac interventional procedures, real-time monitoring of maximum skin dose is not possible," however monitoring total entrance skin radiation dose is, Dr. Chida said. The study was conducted to determine if total entrance skin dose could help determine maximum radiation dose to the skin.

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X-ray With Ysio Wi-D: More Comfortable For The Patient, More Flexible For The Physician

With the Ysio wi-D, Siemens Medical Solutions introduces its first digital X-ray unit with a wireless detector to the market. Detectors convert X-ray radiation to digital image information, and are usually firmly integrated in the examination table. The wireless detector of the Ysio can be removed from the table and placed directly underneath or next to the patient. Exposures that are difficult or impossible to take using a permanently integrated detector, e.g. lateral exposures of the hip, can now be taken without difficulty. Furthermore, patients with restricted mobility can be X-rayed e.g. without having to be removed from a wheelchair. The wireless detector, which transmits image data to the diagnostic workstation via WLAN, can be used just as flexibly as a cassette in analog X-ray systems while at the same time offering all the advantages of digital X-ray imaging.


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Hospital's hidden X-ray backlog revealed

THE number of X-rays and other medical scans not being interpreted by radiologists at Liverpool Hospital is up to three times higher than what the hospital has publicly admitted, according to statistics obtained by the Herald.

A statement from Liverpool Hospital (Sydney, Australia) early last month said that it had a backlog of 4500 images that had not been reported on by a radiologist.

However, internal hospital records show a backlog of 12,895 radiology reports in August. The records document a steady increase, from 7795 in March to 11,610 in July. Radiology staff said the figure for last month was up to 22,000.

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