AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Dec 2019
Diagnostic Radiologists' Participation in the American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification Program.
OBJECTIVE. Physicians across specialties have expressed concerns about Maintenance of Certification (MOC) programs of American Board of Medical Specialties member boards, calling for research about MOC acceptance, adoption, and value. The purpose of this study was to characterize diagnostic radiologists' participation in the American Board of Radiology (ABR) MOC program, the framework for its new Online Longitudinal Assessment program. ⋯ CONCLUSION. Although diagnostic radiologists with time-limited certificates nearly universally participate in MOC, those with lifetime certificates (particularly general radiologists and those in smaller and nonacademic practices) participate infrequently. Low rates of nonmandated participation may reflect diplomate dissatisfaction or negative perceptions about MOC.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Nov 2019
Lung Adenocarcinoma Manifesting as Ground-Glass Opacity Nodules 3 cm or Smaller: Evaluation With Combined High-Resolution CT and PET/CT Modality.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate high-resolution CT (HRCT) combined with PET/CT for preoperative differentiation of invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) from preinvasive lesions and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) (the combination of which is hereafter referred to as preinvasive-MIA) in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground-glass opacity nodules (GGNs) 3 cm or smaller. MATERIALS AND METHODS. ⋯ The combined HRCT and PET/CT modality had higher sensitivity and accuracy than did morphologic features, HRCT, and PET/CT measurement parameters alone (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION. The combined HRCT and PET/CT modality is an effective method to preoperatively identify IAC in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGNs 3 cm or smaller.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Sep 2019
Comparative StudyComparison of Whole-Body DWI and 18F-FDG PET/CT for Detecting Intramedullary and Extramedullary Lesions in Multiple Myeloma.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of whole-body (WB) DWI and 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting intramedullary and extramedullary lesions in multiple myeloma. MATERIALS AND METHODS. ⋯ For detecting intramedullary lesions, WB DWI is more sensitive than PET/CT in all regions except the skull, both in patients with a new diagnosis and previously treated patients and especially in patients with a low percentage of plasma cells. For detecting extramedullary lesions, WB DWI has sensitivity equivalent to that of PET/CT. The use of both modalities may offer complementary information.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Sep 2019
Observational StudyApparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Ratio Versus Conventional ADC for Detecting Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer With 3-T MRI.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the apparent diffusion coefficient ratio (ADCratio; the ADC of the suspected prostate cancer [PCa] focus on MRI divided by the ADC in a noncancerous reference area) with that of conventional ADC for detection of high-grade PCa (Gleason score [GS] ≥ 3 + 4) versus low-grade PCa (GS = 3 + 3) with whole-mount (WM) histopathologic analysis used as a reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS. ⋯ When analyzed on the basis of endorectal coil use, the ADCratio_mean performed nonsignificantly better in both the endorectal coil and non-endorectal coil subcohorts, although it performed better in the former. CONCLUSION. As an intrapatient-normalized diagnostic tool, the ADC ratio provided the best AUC value for discrimination of low-grade from high-grade PCa on 3-T MRI.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Sep 2019
Metal Artifact Reduction in Cardiovascular MRI for Accurate Myocardial Scar Assessment in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.
OBJECTIVE. An important application of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI is accurate assessment of myocardial scar before ablation. However, this is often limited in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) because of metal device-induced artifacts. ⋯ The wideband LGE MRI sequence minimized artifacts in the most commonly obscured segments on the conventional LGE MRI sequence, with persistent artifacts in seven, eight, and four of 32 cases at the basal anterior, midventricular anterior, and midventricular anteroseptal segments, respectively. CONCLUSION. The modified wideband IR technique completely resolves mild and moderate device-induced hyperintense artifacts and significantly reduces the volume of severe artifact to allow accurate identification of myocardial scar in patients with CIEDs before ablation.