Sunday Bits and Bytes

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I haven’t heard any figures to confirm or refute this, but it seems like attendance at this year’s RSNA—much like attendance at last year’s—has been impacted negatively by the struggling economy. Anecdotal evidence includes the nonexistent cab line at the airport yesterday evening (if you were here back in 2007, you know what I’m talking about) as well as the comparative isolation available here in the South Hall’s upstairs cafe, which is usually so packed it’s hard to find a table. Have you come to the show in the past, but decided to give it a miss this year? Or, if you’re here, do things seem a little less hectic than usual to you?

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Monday Bits and Bytes: Yep, There’s an App for That

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It seems like smart phones can do just about anything these days—according to new research, radiologists can even use them to accurately diagnose acute appendicitis, provided they have the right software. In a study performed at UVA, five radiologists used an iPhone to attempt to diagnose acute appendicitis from CT scans of 25 patients presenting with right lower abdomen pain. Fifteen of the 25 patients were properly diagnosed using the phones, and there were no false positive readings. “The iPhone interpretations of the CT scans were as accurate as the interpretations viewed on dedicated PACS workstations,” said the study’s lead author.

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Tuesday Bits and Bytes: Mammo Ups Breast Cancer Risk?

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Amidst a hurricane of controversy surrounding the US Preventative Services Task Force’s new mammography screening recommendations comes fresh research presented today at RSNA 2009: low-dose radiation from annual mammography screening could up the risk of developing breast cancer in some high-risk women. In a retrospective study of high-risk women, those who were exposed to low-dose radiation experienced a risk of breast cancer 1.5 times that of high-risk women not exposed to radiation. “Our findings suggest that low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk among these young high-risk women, and a careful approach is warranted,” said the study’s lead author.

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Wednesday Bits and Bytes: Ultrasound Can Reduce Breast Biopsies

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Research presented today at RSNA indicates that the use of targeted breast ultrasound can reduce biopsies in women under the age of 40. Two studies used targeted ultrasound to distinguish between potentially cancerous masses and benign findings in young women who had detected lumps in their breasts. The incidence of malignancy ranged from just 0.4% to 2%. “It is time we used ultrasound to reduce unnecessary morbidity and costs associated with more aggressive invasive approaches,” said the lead author of one of the studies.

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Thursday Bits and Bytes: Get in Touch with Your Inner Emily Post

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As the ACR wages its campaign to give the “Face of Radiology” a major nip and tuck, new research out of UPenn indicates that getting in touch with your inner Emily Post and sending a thank-you letter can go a long way toward improving your patients’ perception of you—and of the profession. In the study, Dr. Rajan Agarwal and his colleagues sent thank-you letters with a survey to almost 5,000 patients, and surveys without thank-you letters to another 5,000 or so. The results showed that patients who received the letter were more likely to recommend UPenn’s radiology department to others. “If we as a profession want to improve the face of radiology, we all have to start thinking of new, creative ways of increasing time with patients or at least increasing their knowledge of our role in their care,” Agarwal said.

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