Clinical Effectiveness Of Imaging Examinations Increased by Clinical Education Initiatives

A variety of issues related to clinical practice, health services, practice management, radiology education and training was focused in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Articles include:

Brain Imaging Protocol May Help Identify Delays in Premature Infants
It was nearly impossible to predict the risk of cognitive, behavioral and motor defects in infants born prematurely using conventional brain imaging technology

Screening Cervical Spine CT in the Emergency Department, Phase 3: Increasing Effectiveness of Imaging
Brent Griffith, M.D.; Phyllis Vallee, M.D.; Jumana Nagarwala, M.D.; C. Patrick Loeckner, M.D.; Lonni R. Schultz, Ph.D.; Rajan Jain, M.D.
Clinical education initiatives such as those in this study have the potential to improve adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines, such as the ACR Appropriateness Criteria®, and, in doing so, increase the clinical effectiveness of imaging examinations.

Trends in Diagnostic CT Among Fee-For-Service Enrollees, 2000-2011
Ghassan B. Hamra, Ph.D.; Richard C. Semelka, M.D.; Lauren M.B. Burke, M.D.; Virginia Pate, M.S.; Alan Brookhart, Ph.D.
Trends in diagnostic CT show differential changes from 2000-2011 by age groups and body region.

Dose Reduction Efforts for Pediatric Head CT Imaging in Washington State Trauma Centers: Follow-Up Survey Results
Janessa M. Graves, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Kalpana M. Kanal, Ph.D.; Frederick P. Rivara, M.D., M.P.H.; Jeffrey G. Jarvik, M.D., M.P.H.; Monica S. Vavilala, M.D.
Survey results show that, compared with a survey administered in 2008-2009, variation in pediatric head CT imaging protocols and radiation dose continues to exist among Washington state trauma centers in 2012.

New Approach may Come Out for Imaging Dense Breasts for Abnormalities
Dartmouth engineers and radiologists are developing new approaches for an emerging technique in diagnostic imaging for breast cancer—MRI with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Prostate MRI: Access to and Current Practice of Prostate MRI in the United States
James L. Leake, M.S.; Rulon Hardman, M.D.; Vijayanadh Ojili, M.D.; Ian Thompson, M.D.; Alampady Shanbhogue, M.D.; Javier Hernandez, M.D.; Jelle Barentsz, M.D.
Most locations performing prostate MRI are doing so at minimum standards; however, there is a need to educate non-academic practices regarding minimum standards.

United States Medical School Graduate Interest in Radiology Residency Programs as Depicted by Online Search Tools
Nora M. Haney, B.S.; Stuart D. Kinsella, B.A.; Jose M. Morey, M.D.
Online search data, such as Google Trends, may be used to predict U.S. medical School graduates' interest in entering the field of radiology.

Tiny Particle Made Up of Silk and Diamond can Lead to a Novel Imaging and Drug Delivery Tool
A new technique, which can help doctors and researchers with better biological imaging and drug delivery, makes use of a tiny particle that is built using silk and diamonds.

Source-Eurekalert