Dedicated Breast CT Might Help Trim Extra Imaging Procedures

Written by Ronny Bachrach on October 14, 2014. Posted in Digital Radiography and PACS, DR, Hardware

Cutting back on unnecessary imaging has been the goal for many modern radiology practices as health care providers look for areas to trim excess spending. Much of the issue lies in following the optimal appropriateness criteria that yields improved outcomes.

According to a statewide report out of Washington, a large percentage of diagnostic tests and treatments, including medical imaging, can be labeled as unnecessary, FierceMedicalImaging explained. These exams are putting patients at risk of dangers, such as overexposure to radiation. The details, published by the Washington Health Alliance, indicate that data from 3.3 million patients and 11 different procedures were used to measure the appropriateness of scans.

The WHA report found that roughly one-third of pediatric patients suspected of having appendicitis underwent CT scans rather than ultrasound, despite competing recommendations from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics. Usage also varied greatly from one county to the next, with 14 percent of children in Clark County scanned by CT, compared to 51 percent of those in Yakima County. Thirteen percent of Wharton County patients with ovarian cysts underwent unnecessary follow-up imaging, while 61 percent of women from Island County received further exams.

"We really do harm, giving radiation to patients where we are not going to show any value," said Brian Seppi, M.D., president of the Washington State Hospital Association, quoted by FierceMedicalImaging.

These findings are a stark reminder of the importance of appropriateness criteria and its role in delivering effective digital imaging results. This is especially true with breast cancer, as new research showed that dedicated CT might enhance oncology scans.

The future of dedicated breast CT
Collaborative research from the University of Rochester in New York and the University of Massachusetts in Worcester indicated that dedicated breast CT offers distinct diagnostic benefits compared to other modalities, AuntMinnie.com reported. Led by Avice O'Connell, M.D., the doctors believe that breast CT could complete a range of significant tasks, including adjunctive screening applications.

"Tomosynthesis is all the rage, and it is easy to add to a screening protocol," said O'Connell, quoted by the news source. "But I see dedicated breast CT as offering a technological advantage after mammography and tomosynthesis for work-up, because it delivers true 3D images."

Breast density can legitimately hinder mammography's capabilities, which has paved the way for additional screening modalities to take over, such as digital breast tomosynthesis. However, the inclusion of dedicated CT could eliminate the need for other techniques. Its benefits include:

  • No compression requirement, providing higher spatial resolution
  • Greater slice sensitivity for generating images across any plane with consistent high quality
  • Shorter acquisition times (10 seconds) compared to breast MRI (4-8 minutes)
  • Addresses breast density concerns, including quantifying anatomical makeup
  • Reasonable radiation dose in comparison to modalities like combined tomosynthesis-mammography screenings.

The bottom line is that dedicated breast CT has the potential to improve upon conventional mammography in terms of diagnostic tests for cancer. It can help guide difficult biopsies and provide better evaluations on the extent of disease. All in all, breast CT is set to become integral to diagnostic radiology in the near future.

Contact Viztek for more information.

Ronny Bachrach

Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC
Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.
Ronny Bachrach
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