Quality | April 2018

Radiologists can increase the likelihood that patients receive outpatient imaging follow-up for findings indeterminate for malignancy by initiating verbal communication, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

The majority of chest, abdominal and pelvic CTs are scanned off-center—a phenomenon that could impact both dose and image quality, a group of Atlanta researchers reported this month in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.

Heuristics, or mental shortcuts based on past experiences, can help decisionmakers get things done at a rapid rate—but they can also lead to cognitive bias and significant mistakes. A new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology examined how heuristics and cognitive bias impact image interpretation in radiology.

Women who opt for partial or lower-dose radiotherapy during breast cancer treatment may experience fewer side effects while maintaining the efficacy of a full dose, researchers reported at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona this month.

When patients experience blunt neck injuries—after a car accident, for example—follow-up MRI is not necessary after a CT scan comes back negative for spine instability, according to a new study published in JAMA Surgery.

Nearly one-third of practicing radiologists in the U.S. report job-related lower back pain, according to the American College of Radiology’s most recent commission workforce survey—and they’re not the only ones complaining.

A team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health was able to significantly reduce radiation dose to the lens and other radiosensitive organs during neck CT examinations by making straightforward modifications to both the imaging equipment and the patient’s positioning, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Lower screening mammography recall rates are associated with higher rates of breast cancers detected between screenings, according to a new study published in Radiology. Does this relationship between recall rates and interval cancers mean breast cancer screening programs should establish a minimum recall rate?

The cost of healthcare, especially advanced imaging studies, has been under scrutiny for several years now, leading to countless discussions about what is and is not essential to patient care. In a new commentary published by Academic Radiology, the author argues that image reinterpretation by a subspecialist radiologist can provide significant value and should not be viewed as wasteful or unnecessary.