AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Dec 2012
Multicenter StudyQuality outcomes of reinterpretation of brain CT studies by subspecialty experts in stroke imaging.
The purposes of this study were to determine the clinical importance and relative value of reinterpretation of brain CT studies by subspecialty experts by assessing the accuracy of interpretation by general radiologists at primary stroke centers and to assess interpretive quality outcomes as a function of change in the treatment of patients with stroke diagnoses or acute presentations of suspected stroke. ⋯ Most of the interpreted head CT cases read by board-certified general radiologists for patients presenting with stroke or stroke symptoms did not result in discordant interpretations as verified by subspecialty experts. Discordant interpretations did not result in changes in clinical management in most cases. Double reading of head CT scans for these patients by subspecialty experts appears to be an inefficient method of substantially improving imaging health quality outcomes in stroke.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Dec 2012
Physicians' and midlevel providers' awareness of lifetime radiation-attributable cancer risk associated with commonly performed CT studies: relationship to practice behavior.
The purpose of this study is to investigate emergency department (ED) providers' knowledge of the lifetime cancer risk attributable to radiation from commonly performed CT scans and its association with the ordering providers' risk-benefit analysis before ordering the examination. This study further explores factors that may influence a provider's selection of a particular diagnostic imaging study in an ED setting. ⋯ A large proportion of ED providers are unaware of the lifetime risk of carcinogenesis associated with commonly performed CT scans. Clinical experience, not knowledge of lifetime cancer risk attributable to radiation, is significantly associated with beneficial behavior toward the use of CT.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Dec 2012
Abdominal CT with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR): initial results of a prospective trial comparing ultralow-dose with standard-dose imaging.
The purpose of this study was to report preliminary results of an ongoing prospective trial of ultralow-dose abdominal MDCT. ⋯ MBIR shows great potential for substantially reducing radiation doses at routine abdominal CT. Both FBP and ASIR are limited in this regard owing to reduced image quality and diagnostic capability. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dose level for MBIR that maintains adequate diagnostic performance. In general, objective and subjective image quality measurements do not necessarily correlate with diagnostic performance at ultralow-dose CT.
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The standardized terminology and reporting structure of the BI-RADS for mammography, ultrasound, and MRI findings facilitates patient management. To date, no such terminology has been available for gamma camera breast imaging. We present an illustrated lexicon including description of background uptake, mass and nonmass uptake, lesion intensity, associated findings, and review of common artifacts. ⋯ This proposed lexicon should facilitate standardized interpretation, communication of results, and outcomes monitoring of examinations using dedicated devices for gamma camera breast imaging.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Dec 2012
Software Aids for radiologists: Part 2, Essential apps for handheld devices.
The purpose of this review is to summarize applications (apps) for hand-held computing devices that can be essential aids to radiologists. ⋯ Numerous apps are relevant to radiologists. Although the author prefers Apple iPad and iPhone apps, similar Android apps fill many of the same software niches.