Diagnostic Reading #3: Five “Must Read” Articles on Medical Imaging
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Common reasons for callbacks, and 2020 trends are in the news this week.
This week’s articles in Diagnostic Reading include: a preview of medical imaging trends in 2020; communication tool eases radiologist burnout; common reasons for imaging callbacks; astronaut’s blood clot detected by ultrasound; and MRI may help identify future binge drinkers.
Medical imaging trends in 2020 – Everything Rad
The overall healthcare industry is striving to make healthcare more effective. In medical imaging, this translates to improving diagnosis while keeping dose as low as possible; and increasing efficiencies to minimize costs. In the first part of a 2-part series on Medical Imaging Trends in 2020, we explore four significant technology innovations that will help improve diagnosis while keeping dose as low as possible.
Hybrid communication tool relieves radiologist burnout while cutting costs – Health Imaging
Imaging utilization is on the rise and radiologists need a more efficient way to communicate these clinical findings—one that avoids extra tasks contributing to the burnout epidemic plaguing healthcare, stated researchers in a study published in Clinical Imaging. The researchers proposed a commercially available hybrid computer-human based system, which allows a radiologist to generate a ticket request and instantly message clinicians on the system while reading an exam.
The 4 most common reasons for imaging ‘callbacks’ in radiology – Radiology Business
To better understand imaging ‘callbacks’ and determine their root causes, University of Michigan researchers pored over data from tens of thousands of MRI and CT exams. While the numbers are scarce, some believe callbacks are radiology’s equivalent to wrong-site errors in surgery and must be minimized to the fullest extent, stated researchers in a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Four commonplace reasons led to the majority of imaging callbacks, including protocol errors and inadequate anatomic coverage.
Ultrasound detects astronaut’s blood clot in space – AuntMinnie
An astronaut on the International Space Station using an onboard ultrasound scanner to research the effects of space flight instead detected their own venous thrombosis, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The astronaut identified a potential blood clot while performing a self-directed ultrasound exam as part of a vascular research study, and a follow-up ultrasound exam performed by the astronaut with guidance from two radiologists on Earth confirmed that the blood clot was a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
MRI technique used to identify future risk of binge drinking – Diagnostic Imaging
The brain could hold clues about who will engage in excessive alcohol use, as MRI brain scans were used to identify which adolescents will likely struggle most with binge drinking in adulthood, according to recently published research. Using a technique called BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) MRI, investigators from the University of California San Diego were able to pinpoint that young adults who have less inhibition control will likely engage in binge drinking earlier. The BOLD technique generates functional MRI images that rely on cerebral blood flow to delineate activity in regions of the brain.
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