Radiology and imaging

386 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 13

Is it necessary for a doctor to examine you on each visit?

March 5, 2012Mar 5, 201234

A tug-of-war is going on in medicine right now between the past and the future. The present is confused and very unsure of itself. Though I could be writing about health care in the U.S and the looming Supreme Court…

A tug-of-war is going on in medicine right now between the past and the future. The present is confused and very unsure of itself.

Though I could be writing about health care in the U.S and the looming Supreme Court battle over the new health care law, I’m actually raising a much more intimate issue: Whether your doctor touches (examines) you or not.

Many pundits have weighed in on whether …

Conditions and diseases

MKSAP: 35-year-old woman with right upper quadrant abdominal pain

mksap

February 18, 2012Feb 18, 2012

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 35-year-old woman is evaluated for a 6-month history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain that has slowly increased in intensity and is worse…

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 35-year-old woman is evaluated for a 6-month history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain that has slowly increased in intensity and is worse on deep inspiration. The patient is otherwise well, and her only medication is an oral contraceptive pill that she has taken for …

Conditions and diseases

Avoid malpractice while treating minor head trauma in children

Maxwell S. Kennerly

February 10, 2012Feb 10, 20128

In October 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 60% increase in “emergency department visits for sports– and recreation–related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, among children and adolescents” over the past decade. That’s good news: as the CDC’s press release said, they believe the increase was due in part to “growing awareness among parents and coaches, and the public as a whole, about the need for individuals with a suspected …

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Health technology

How a doctor uses Google to market and recruit patients

Jamie Cesaretti, MD

February 2, 2012Feb 2, 201216

When I relocated my radiation oncology practice from Jacksonville to Tampa, Florida, I had to figure out how to compete against urologists in a market that was radically different from the one I had left. Unlike their peers in Jacksonville,…

To break the referral pattern, I updated and posted my physician profile for free on an online …

Medical education

Radiologists who cheat on their board exams: Who’s to blame?

Kevin Pho, MD

January 17, 2012Jan 17, 201210

In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: "Doctors around the country taking an exam to become board certified in radiology have cheated by memorizing test questions, creating sophisticated banks of…

In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: “Doctors around the country taking an exam to become board certified in radiology have cheated by memorizing test questions, creating sophisticated banks of what are known as ‘recalls,’ … The recall exams are meticulously compiled by radiology residents, who write down the questions …

Conditions and diseases

Why mammography is an imperfect test

Stacey Vitiello, MD

January 15, 2012Jan 15, 201218

It is a scenario familiar to all breast imaging practices. A patient feels a lump in her breast and calls her doctor. The doctor examines her, agrees that a lump is present, and refers the patient to a breast imaging…

It is a scenario familiar to all breast imaging practices.

A patient feels a lump in her breast and calls her doctor. The doctor examines her, agrees that a lump is present, and refers the patient to a breast imaging facility for a diagnostic mammogram and breast ultrasound (also known as a sonogram). At her mammogram appointment, a little sticker is placed on the lump felt by the patient, and mammogram …

Read more…

Why mammography is an imperfect test

Physician voices

I’m proud that I’ve never had an MRI or CT scan

George Lundberg, MD

December 26, 2011Dec 26, 201124

What is your personal experience with MRIs? Was your last one fun? How much did it cost whoever paid for it? Did it make a real difference in your outcome? I am a 78-year-old American man in robust general health…

What is your personal experience with MRIs? Was your last one fun? How much did it cost whoever paid for it? Did it make a real difference in your outcome?

I am a 78-year-old American man in robust general health and with good comprehensive health insurance all my adult life and I have never had an MRI.

Until 2010, I had also never had a CT scan. And I’m proud of that.

Why …

Physician voices

The media’s role in educating patients about MRI overuse

Kevin Pho, MD

November 3, 2011Nov 3, 20112

Thankfully, there have been more news stories recently illustrating the overuse of tests. Specifically with cancer screening, the PSA test and mammograms have come under increasing scrutiny. I think this type of media attention is long overdue, as the public…

Thankfully, there have been more news stories recently illustrating the overuse of tests.

Specifically with cancer screening, the PSA test and mammograms have come under increasing scrutiny.

I think this type of media attention is long overdue, as the public needs to be aware of the potential downsides of diagnostic tests.

Now comes the MRI.

A recent piece in the New …

Physician voices

Why radiology is the cornerstone of any hospital

Paul Dorio, MD

October 19, 2011Oct 19, 20112

Radiology is the cornerstone of any hospital. An efficient, high-quality, well-run radiology department increases patient satisfaction as a result of its ability to improve patient care. Over time, a well-run radiology department adds significant patient volumes to the hospital, which, of course, favorably enhances the hospital’s bottom line. Regardless of whether the hospital is not-for-profit or for-profit, a smooth-sailing radiology department vastly increases the profitability of the hospital. The …

Health policy

Our easy access to imaging has led to overutilization

Raag Airan, MD

October 11, 2011Oct 11, 20113

With all the debate about cost control, it’s clear that we doctors will have to police ourselves – or else politicians and insurance companies will exert even more influence over our practices than they already do. The main question is:…

Are we willing to let our physician colleagues exert influence on our care decisions?

Taking a case from my field: at a conference this past week I met a radiology resident …

Patient voices

Practical tips for a more comfortable mammogram

Stacey Vitiello, MD

October 6, 2011Oct 6, 2011

By now you’ve probably seen the internet jokes that compare the mammogram experience to having your breast squashed in a refrigerator door. A few years back, I joined the club of women who have our annual mammograms, and I can’t say that I disagree with the imagery of the jokes. However, the benefits of early detection far outweigh the discomfort, so I’m willing to put up with it.

I’d like to …

Physician voices

Eric Appelt and his extraordinary commitment to medicine

Sunjay Devarajan

July 18, 2011Jul 18, 2011

Dr. Eric Appelt was born to be a superstar. During his career, he has redefined what it means to be committed to medicine, and he embodies the practice of perseverance on a daily basis. I am proud to say that…

As a young man growing up in Brenham, TX, Appelt was the kind of son every parent …

Physician voices

The radiation delivered by CT scanners has gone largely unregulated

Robert Wachter, MD

July 7, 2011Jul 7, 20119

Although the medical profession has been harming unlucky patients for centuries, the patient safety movement didn’t take flight until 1999, when the Institute of Medicine published its seminal report, To Err is Human. And that report would have ended up as just another doorstop if not for its estimate that 44,000-98,000 Americans each year die from medical mistakes, the equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing each …

Health policy

Physicians referring patients to a diagnostic facility they own

Bob Doherty

April 10, 2011Apr 10, 201119

Federal law generally prohibits physicians from referring their own patients to a diagnostic facility in which they have an ownership issue - a practice called "self-referral" - unless the facility is located in their own practice. This exemption exists to…

Federal law generally prohibits physicians from referring their own patients to a diagnostic facility in which they have an ownership issue – a practice called “self-referral” – unless the facility is located in their own practice.

This exemption exists to allow patients with access to a laboratory test, x-ray, or other imaging test at the same time and place as when patients are seeing their physician for an office visit. Less …

Health technology

How Microsoft Kinect can help in radiology to view a CT or MRI

Lukas Zinnagl, MD

March 22, 2011Mar 22, 2011

Radiology has transformed into a core subject of medicine, since imaging procedures are getting more and more crucial to clinical decisions. Whether these developments, be it over-diagnosing or unnecessary radiation on the one hand or a more detailed and enhanced…

Physician voices

Are doctors ordering too many tests, or practicing a new standard?

Kevin Pho, MD

March 8, 2011Mar 8, 201127

Are medical students and new doctors overly reliant on tests and technology to make diagnoses? That's an interesting thought I had when reading the latest TIME.com piece from emergency physicians Jesse M. Pines and Dr. Zachary F. Meisel. In their…

Are medical students and new doctors overly reliant on tests and technology to make diagnoses?

That’s an interesting thought I had when reading the latest TIME.com piece from emergency physicians Jesse M. Pines and Dr. Zachary F. Meisel.

In their article, they give reasons why doctors order too many tests.

Of course, they cite defensive purposes, saying, “once a doctor has presented an …

Conditions and diseases

CT scans and x-rays draw patients into risk and overutilization

Michael Kirsch, MD

December 28, 2010Dec 28, 20104

Many patients erroneously believe that x-rays and CAT scans have no risk. In their minds, they are non-invasive studies that can cause no harm. Since there are no incisions or anesthesia, they regard the experience as having the same risk…

Many patients erroneously believe that x-rays and CAT scans have no risk.

In their minds, they are non-invasive studies that can cause no harm. Since there are no incisions or anesthesia, they regard the experience as having the same risk as taking a family photograph. How wrong they are. In my mind the danger from non-invasive radiology studies may surpass the risk of hard core medical treatment. True, radiology tests won’t …

Patient voices

Pay close attention to what doctors say to patients

Paul Dorio, MD

December 20, 2010Dec 20, 201016

In a report from the Archives of Internal Medicine, it was reported that most hospitalized patients (82%) could not accurately name the physician responsible for their care and almost half of the patients did not even know their diagnosis or…

In a report from the Archives of Internal Medicine, it was reported that most hospitalized patients (82%) could not accurately name the physician responsible for their care and almost half of the patients did not even know their diagnosis or why they were admitted. Of the physicians, 67% thought the patients knew their name and 77% of doctors thought the patients “understood their diagnoses at least somewhat …

Conditions and diseases

Appendicitis in children and radiation exposure from CT scans

Skeptical Scalpel, MD

December 3, 2010Dec 3, 201011

Recently, medical writer and pediatrician Perri Klass wrote in the New York Times about evolving issues regarding the diagnosis of appendicitis in children, which are also applicable to adults. There is well-documented concern regarding the excessive radiation exposure associated with…

Recently, medical writer and pediatrician Perri Klass wrote in the New York Times about evolving issues regarding the diagnosis of appendicitis in children, which are also applicable to adults. There is well-documented concern regarding the excessive radiation exposure associated with CT scans.

For example, a recent paper reported that a single abdominal CT scan with contrast delivers a radiation dose equal to undergoing more than 200 regular …

Physician voices

Radiation risks of CT scans need to be taught to patients

Paul Dorio, MD

September 17, 2010Sep 17, 20104

Radiation is emitted in various forms. Recently, CT scan radiation has preoccupied (or “absorbed”) the attention of the public and media. As explained: “X rays, γ rays, and neutron beams are considered ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation may break molecules into…

For this reason, it is imperative that the use of radiation is only by highly trained personnel and that …

Radiology and imaging

Articles, page 13

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