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Depending on which study you're looking at, the use of computer-aided detection (CAD) with mammography improves accuracy slightly, boosts inaccuracy slightly, or does little to impact accuracy either way.
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A newly released guideline on colorectal cancer screening offers recommendations for various alternatives for colorectal cancer detection, including — for the first time — radiological examination by CT colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy.
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While the next generation of technology for breast cancer screening may well be based on digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), there is another promising approach under development that also can produce three-dimensional images of the breast. Investigators in Texas and New York are reporting positive developments with respect to cone-beam breast CT (CBBCT), an approach that may be able to deliver certain advantages in terms of exam time, comfort, and diagnostic accuracy.
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In light of its excellent safety profile, ultrasound does not usually figure into debates about whether imaging is being overused in this country. However, new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) suggest there may be at least one indication for which ultrasound is being used inappropriately: screening for carotid artery stenosis (CAS) in asymptomatic patients.
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An off-label use of MRI is showing significant promise in the treatment of patients with thalassemia, a condition that often requires frequent blood transfusions which leave patients at risk for complications from a dangerous build-up of iron in the heart.
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Radiotherapy is a major tool in the clinician's arsenal against cancer, and new techniques are being developed that minimize damage to healthy tissue next to the targeted cancerous tumors, as well as improve the treatment effect by concentrating the radiation dose where it is most needed.
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One of the most appealing features in some of the newer, more powerful CT scanning devices is that they can do the job while exposing the patient to less radiation in some cases significantly less, according to vendors.
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Three recent reports yield different conclusions on the effectiveness of MRSA surveillance on the incidence of healthcare associated MRSA infection.
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In this examination of blood C-reactive protein levels and clinical data in 570 patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, initial CRP levels < 100 mg/L were associated with fewer complications, less use of mechanical ventilation and/or inotropes, and lower 30-day mortality. Whether these findings provide useful information beyond what is apparent on routine clinical assessment remains to be seen.
