The FDA has released preliminary information from the ongoing investigation of the improper usage of CardioGen-82 (Bracco Diagnostics). The agency said that certain clinical sites are responsible for the exposure of some patients to more radiation than is typically associated with a CardioGen-82 scan. A voluntary recall of CardioGen-82 was launched on July 25, 2011.
A pair of articles in the January issue of Radiology debated whether or not radiology departments need to develop an informed consent process that details the risk of medical radiation. Both groups of experts recognized that informed consent may not be ready for prime time, albeit for different reasons, and acknowledged the value of informed decision making.
CHICAGO—Communicating radiation dose exposure information is a process fraught with landmines. Experts offered a host of strategies for navigating the landmines and sharing dose information with patients during a Nov. 27 session at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
DENVER—With the “explosive growth” of cardiovascular imaging, the focus must now center on improving quality and reducing radiation exposure, and appropriate use criteria (AUC) can help, Robert C. Hendel, MD, director of cardiac imaging and outpatient services at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, said during a presentation Sept. 10 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific sessions.
DENVER—As important players within the medical community work to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from medical imaging, integrating protocols and strategies, such as shielding, can help reduce dose, James A. Case, PhD, of Cardiovascular Imaging Technologies in Kansas City, said during a presentation Sept. 9 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) meeting.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is seeking to clarify the Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Alert, related to radiation-based imaging.
The FDA has notified the public and the medical imaging community about the potential for inadvertent, increased radiation exposure in patients who underwent or will be undergoing cardiac PET scans with rubidium-82 (Rb-82) chloride injection from CardioGen-82 (Bracco Diagnostics).
After surviving childhood cancer, patients who experience a subsequent neoplasm face a large increase in the risk of developing additional neoplasms, with more than one-quarter developing third or subsequent tumors, and particularly high rates found among those treated for nonmelanoma skin cancers, according to the authors of a large study published June 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
After the Senate knocked down the House of Representatives’ bid to dramatically shrink Medicare, bipartisan leadership of the House Subcommittee on Health is now urging the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to reconsider its move to plug holes in the Stark Law and limit reimbursement for self-referred imaging.
Written by Clint vanSonnenberg
Allegations of inappropriate imaging and Medicare fraud are flying between a University of Iowa radiologist and university officials, who claim that Malik E. Juweid, MD, violated HIPAA by sending protected health information to Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), among other unauthorized officials.
In an effort to broaden patients’ protection from excessive radiation, the American College of Radiology (ACR) has launched a CT Dose Index Registry, allowing facilities to track their radiation doses from CT and to gauge their emitted doses against other institutions.
A radiation safety call center staffed by nurses may serve as a valuable resource to a public concerned and uncertain about the risks of ionizing radiation and the benefits of imaging studies, according to an article published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Image reconstruction can dramatically reduce the required electrical current and drop chest CT-induced radiation to as low as 3.5 mGy while maintaining acceptable image quality, according to a study published in the May issue of Radiology.
CT utilization in EDs across the country is surging in pediatric patients; whereas 1.2 percent of children admitted to the ED received CT scans in 1995, that percentage grew to nearly 6 percent by 2008, leading the authors of a study published April 5 in Radiology to reiterate calls for close scrutiny of CT use, especially among children.
Presenting last week at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) summit on managing CT radiation dose in Bethesda, Md., representatives from the American College of Radiology (ACR) discussed initiatives for minimizing CT radiation dose ranging from technology and education to public policy and voluntary reporting.
Whole body diffusion-weighted MRI in lymphoma patients may yield staging results largely equal to those of the standard 18F-FDG PET/CT, while delivering no radiation and a more economical alternative, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. However, further studies are required to confirm the role of MRI.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is launching a trial to determine whether patients with stable angina can safely undergo cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) to determine if plaque stenosis is the cause of their pain, instead of a SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging exam, that often is followed by invasive catheter angiography to assess the degree of coronary artery disease.
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