Diagnostic Reading #43: Five “Must Read” Articles on Medical Imaging
Reading Time: 3 minutes read
Breast cancer imaging remains in headlines during Pinktober.
This week’s articles in Diagnostic Reading include: researching different technologies to fight breast cancer; spectral CT better identifies COVID; MRI detects more cancerous lesions in dense breasts; virtual radiology course earns high marks; and more patients with implanted devices can undergo MRI.
UT Dallas researchers design tools to fight breast cancer – Axis Imaging News
As early discovery and effective treatment are the keys to preventing breast cancer deaths, recent advances show promise for helping detect and monitor the disease more accurately, better assessing women’s risk and attacking treatment-resistant tumors. Researchers are working on multiple fronts, including hyperspectral imaging, thermal imaging as well as a molecule for treatment-resistant cancer. Read the blog on Innovative Digital Breast Imaging.
French study supports spectral CT for COVID-19 assessment – AuntMinnie Europe
Spectral computed tomography (CT) is better at identifying early-stage COVID-19 disease than conventional CT, enabling better visualization of pulmonary lesions, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The findings suggest a way to further improve CT’s performance when it comes to diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia, but more research is needed, according to the study authors. Read the blog on COVID-19 Chest Imaging Through Glass.
Pre-operative MRI catches more cancers in women with dense breasts – Diagnostic Imaging
MRI catches more malignant lesions in women with dense breasts who undergo digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) than those who have digital mammography (DM) alone, according to research published in Clinical Imaging. Together, investigators from a multi-institutional team determined that pre-operative MRI does perform differently between women who undergo DBT and those who have DM.
COVID classroom: Virtual interventional radiology course earns praise from medical students – Health Imaging
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical education has been forced to transition toward online courses. Though interventional radiology (IR) has been particularly affected by the current environment, a team of experts recently shared their success implementing a virtual course they say others can build on. As part of the coursework, students complete daily IR resident conferences, trainee-led case review sessions and specialized lectures. Radiologists detailed their two-week virtual IR elective curriculum in Academic Radiology.
Study supports more use of MRI in patients with implants – AuntMinnie
Many more patients with implanted devices could safely undergo MRI and reap clinical benefits of the modality than do so currently, according to a new study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging. Study results suggest the potential for broader use of MRI in patients with implanted devices—such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) —that are “non-MRI conditional,” meaning they do not meet the safety criteria of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
#diagnosticreading
