There has been much debate whether computer-aided detection software for computed tomography (CT) scanners to detect coronary blockages is really a worthwhile expense. There has long been apprehension by experienced cardiologists and radiologists who can easily read coronary CT angiography (CCTA) scans for plaque burden. However, the technology may have a niche application for immediate STAT reads of chest pain patients during off-hours, especially at rural medical centers.

Positron emission mammography (PEM) is an imaging technique designed to provide metabolic visualization of lesions in the breast tissue. The Naviscan high-resolution PEM system is a dual-detector system consisting of two flat, high-resolution detector heads using lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate in a 2 x 2 x 13 mm size. The detectors are mounted inside mammogram compression paddles with a 17 x 24 cm field of view. The paddles can be rotated to optimize imaging to match images acquired in standard mammograms. This allows for direct comparison with mammogram images.

To achieve sustainable excellence in the quality and safety of healthcare, the radiology department at Broward Health Medical Center (BHMC) took a proactive approach to identify bottlenecks in study flows and streamline processes at every stage of imaging studies, from order entry to report posting. Its ultimate goal was to provide ordering physicians with radiologists’ reports in time to support a clinical diagnosis in an acute setting.

The preferred treatment for patients with operable lung cancer is surgical resection. However, many lung cancer patients whose tumors are technically resectable have other medical problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which make it difficult to endure lung cancer surgery. Until the last decade these patients were treated with conventional radiotherapy, but more recently stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), or the accurate delivery of high doses of radiation over a short period of time, has emerged as an alternative treatment.

September 5, 2012 — According to a study in the Sept. issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, overall noninvasive diagnostic imaging (NDI) costs to Medicare Part B dropped 21 percent from 2006 to 2010. The study reveals that medical imaging is not a driver of escalating Medicare costs.