RSNA News - November 2004

Journal Highlights

The following are highlights from the current issues of RSNA's two peer-reviewed journals.

Cancer Risks among Radiologists and Radiologic Technologists: Review of Epidemiologic Studies

Large numbers of professional and technical personnel in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine are exposed to radiation while administering various radiologic procedures.

In a review article in the November issue of Radiology (rsna.org/radiologyjnl), Shinji Yoshinaga, Ph.D., and colleagues from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, discuss the cancer risks to workers as a result of exposure to human-made sources of radiation.

While they found an increased risk of mortality from leukemia among workers employed before 1950 when radiation exposures were high, they found no clear evidence of an increased cancer risk in medical radiation workers exposed to current levels of radiation doses.

They write: "Given a relatively short period of time for which the most recent workers have been followed up and in view of the increasing uses of radiation in modern medical practices, it is important to continue to monitor the health status of medical radiation workers."

This article also includes "Essentials" or highlighted points to help busy readers recognize important information at a glance.

Relative Risk of Mortality due to Selected Cancers According to Number of Years Worked in Specified Calendar Year Periods Among U.S. Radiologic Technologists

Data are relative risk, with number of deaths in parentheses. NS = not significant. P < .05. Excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

(Radiology 2004;232: 313-321)
© 2004 RSNA. All rights reserved. Printed with permission.

CT Angiography of Pulmonary Embolism: Diagnostic Criteria and Causes of Misdiagnosis

Pulmonary embolism is the third most common acute cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke, and results in thousands of deaths each year because it often goes undetected. Pulmonary angiography is the diagnostic standard of reference for confirming or refuting a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, but while the technique remains underused, CT pulmonary angiography is becoming the standard of care at many institutions.

In an article in the September-October issue of RadioGraphics (rsna.org/radiographics), Conrad Wittram, M.B.,Ch.B., and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston:

• Describe the technique of CT pulmonary angiography
• Explain the diagnostic criteria for acute and chronic pulmonary embolism
• Review the causes of misdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism, such as patient-related factors, technical factors, anatomic factors and pathologic factors

The authors add: "The radiologist needs to determine the quality of a CT pulmonary angiographic study and whether pulmonary embolism is present. If the quality of the study is poor, the radiologist should identify which pulmonary arteries are rendered indeterminate and whether additional imaging is necessary."

Acute Central Pulmonary Embolism in Asymptomatic 87-Year-Old Woman
(left) Unenhanced CT scan demonstrates subtle regions of hyperattenuation (arrow). (right) Confirmatory CT pulmonary angiogram demonstrates acute pulmonary embolism within the right main and left interlobar pulmonary arteries.

(RadioGraphics 2004;1219-1238)
© 2004 RSNA. All rights reserved. Printed with permission.