Submit Abstracts for RSNA 2009
The deadline to submit abstracts for RSNA 2009 is 12:00 p.m. Central Time on April 15, 2009. Abstracts are required for scientific papers, scientific posters and education and applied science exhibits.
To submit an abstract online, go to RSNA.org/abstracts.
More information about RSNA 2009, including registration and course enrollment dates, is available at RSNA2009.RSNA.org .
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Leading the News
Expansion of PET Coverage May Not Increase Use
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposal to expand Medicare coverage of PET scans may not cause a significant increase in usage, according to some radiologists. If passed, the proposal would provide automatic reimbursement of PET scans used to identify and diagnose certain types of cancer. The expansion will not, however, cover some of the most common cancers--specifically breast, prostate, and melanoma. Furthermore, Medicare already grants reimbursement for PET scans when the tests are first registered under CMS' National Oncologic PET Registry. For these reasons, Barry Siegel, director of nuclear medicine for the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine, says, "I anticipate a bit of a bump (in usage) … but, bottom line, this new ruling is not going to double or triple the number of scans being performed in the U.S."
From "Coverage May Expand, But Proposal on PET Scans May Not Increase Use"
Modern Healthcare (01/19/09) Vol. 39, No. 3, P. 12; Rhea, Shawn
Research
Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Associated With Improved Survival in Resectable Gastric Cancer
Johns Hopkins Hospital researchers, led by Dr. DeBashish Bose, have found that patients who undergo neoadjuvant chemoradiation prior to surgery to remove gastric cancer have an average overall survival rate of more than five years. The results of their study, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, found that the average overall survival rate for patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by resection was 5.1 years, while the average survival rate for patients who were treated with extended lymphadenectomy was 7.6 years.
From "Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Associated With Improved Survival in Resectable Gastric Cancer"
Doctor's Guide (01/19/09) Susman, Ric
Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Improves Diagnosis of Patients in Vegetative State
MRI can be used to better diagnose and treat patients in a vegetative state, according to University of Barcelona Prof. Carme Junque and her team. For the purposes of their research, reported in Platforma SINC, Junque used MRI to measure the reaction of patients in a vegetative state to sounds. MRI was able to detect a cerebral activation in four out of seven patients, compared to 19 healthy volunteers who demonstrated activation. Amongst the patients who demonstrated a response, one in a vegetative state and another in a minimally responsive state showed appropriate activation in the areas of the brain involved in language processing when listening to excerpts from stories.
From "Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Improves Diagnosis of Patients in Vegetative State"
Science Daily (01/29/09)
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Holds Promise as Prostate Cancer Treatment
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) may be a viable treatment for prostate cancer, according to a recent study led by Dr. L Mearini of the University of Perugia, Italy. Dr. Mearini's team treated 163 men with T1-T3 N0M0 prostate cancer using HIFU between 2004 and 2007. Prior to HIFU, the median prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was 7.3 ng/ml. Six months following treatment with HIFU, that figure fell to an average of 0.54 ng/ml. At that time, the negative biopsy rate was 66.1 percent while researchers found no biochemical evidence of disease in 71.9 percent of patients overall.
From "Visually Directed Transrectal High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer"
UroToday (01/07/2009)
Technology
Use of 7 Tesla MRTs Expanding
The use of whole-body 7-tesla magnetic resonance tomographs (MRTs) has become more widespread in recent years. There are currently four whole-body 7-tesla MRTs worldwide: in Boston, Pittsburgh, Paris, and at the national German Metrology Institute (GMI) in Berlin. Researchers at the Department of Medical Metrology at GMI say the extremely high-resonance images provided by these devices will be primarily used for research purposes; however, they expect use of 7-tesla MRT will continue to expand.
From "For Sharper Pictures of the Body's Interior"
Science Centric (01/27/2009)
Novel Treatment Approach Demonstrates Improvement in Diagnostic Accuracy for Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Researchers at the annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance presented several studies investigating the usefulness of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) to assess the size of a myocardial infarction without therapy, even after therapy has been performed. One such trial, led by University of Leipzig Prof. Holger Thiele, used CMRI to determine that therapy in patients following a myocardial infarction can be optimized by adding antioxidative agents to standard treatments.
From "Novel Treatment Approach Demonstrates Improvement in Diagnostic Accuracy for Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction"
Medical News Today (02/02/09)
Clinical Practice
Childhood Cancer Survivors Not Getting Recommended Mammograms
Women who have undergone radiation treatment for pediatric cancer do not get as many regular mammograms as they should, according to a recent study led by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Kevin Oeffinger. Their research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 551 women who had undergone chest radiation to treat pediatric cancer. It is recommended that these women start having regular mammograms at age 25, or eight years after their last radiation treatment. However, Dr. Oeffinger and his team found that only 37 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 39 years had been screened in the last two years. While 77 percent of women between 40 and 50 years of age had been screened in the last two years, only 53 percent adhered to a regular pattern of screening.
From "Childhood Cancer Survivors Not Getting Recommended Mammograms"
Washington Post (01/27/09) Gordon, Serena
Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training Center
Tulane University recently opened the Tulane Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training. The $3 million, 14,000-square-foot facility was designed to improve patient safety and prevent medical errors by training healthcare professionals. The environment inside the building with its fully equipped emergency room, ICU, operating room, patient rooms and a nurses station is realistic. Healthcare professionals can use the facilities for training exercises, treating life-sized robotic patients that can mimic symptoms and react to treatment. The simulations also feature standardized patients that are trained to act as though they have a real disorder. The Tulane Center focuses on inter-professional team training, also known as Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS). TeamSTEPPS was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and is expected to teach healthcare professionals how to work together in response to different emergencies. Students will take part in every aspect of a patient's simulated case from initial diagnosis to a life-saving operation. The facility also is equipped with a surveillance system of 42 cameras and a number of microphones to record the simulations so participants can analyze their performance and learn from their mistakes.
From "Tulane University Opens Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training Center"
Science Centric (01/26/2009)
Industry News
Changing Trends in Imaging Industry Affecting Radiologists
Several recent studies have found that although the number of advanced imaging scans performed has increased in recent years, many of those scans may be performed by nonradiologists in private office settings and may be unnecessary. For one such study, Dr. David C. Levin of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Department of Radiology reviewed 10 years of Medicare data. Levin and his team found that between 1996 and 2006 the number of scans performed in private-office settings increased 63 percent, while the percentage of scans being performed in hospital imaging centers fell from 47 percent to 41 percent. Additionally, Levin found that although the use of imaging increased 77 percent in emergency departments, utilization in that setting was still substantially lower than in other settings. A second study, led by Jefferson Medical College Department of Radiology Prof. David L. Friedman, utilized an evidence based radiology benefits program to review imaging procedures. By doing so, Friedman and his colleagues found that the program reduced the number of imaging procedures performed by 14 percent and reordered 6 percent of procedures to include a more appropriate scan. Both studies were published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
From "Changing Trends in Imaging Industry Affecting Radiologists"
Modern Healthcare (01/02/09) Rhea, Shawn
SNM Supports Long-Term Objective of National Academy of Sciences Report on Medical Isotopes
Eliminating the highly enriched uranium process (HEU) as the primary source of medical isotopes in the United States is technically and economically feasible, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Dr. Robert W. Atcher, President of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), says SNM supports the NAS's recommendations and long-term view of conversion from HEU. However, SNM is concerned converting to an alternative source would probably be more costly than anticipated and may not satisfy current shortages. The report used suspicious data to estimate the economic impact of conversion from HEU, Atcher said, and did not address the "critical" need for a dependable supply of domestic isotopes, which puts patients at risk. The United States currently relies on HEU facilities in Canada and Europe for the majority of its medical radioisotopes, but the main facilities recently have been unreliable due to age and maintenance problems.
From "SNM Supports Long-Term Objective of National Academy of Sciences Report on Medical Isotopes"
EurekAlert (01/15/09)
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