Digital X-Ray Community
Image Gently expands dose reduction campaign to digital x-ray
September 18, 2012 -- The Image Gently radiation dose reduction campaign has launched a new initiative targeting the most common imaging exam of all: radiography. The group's new Back to Basics initiative, launched today, is intended to strengthen radiation protection in children as radiography shifts from analog film to digital x-ray.
NICU staff may be exposed to radiation during pediatric x-rays
 August 30, 2012 -- Adult fingers from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff were visualized on nearly half of x-ray images acquired at a Canadian hospital, and, in some cases, nurses might not be aware of their inadvertent radiation exposure, researchers have found.
Radiologists vary DR image quality to optimize radiation dose
August 24, 2012 -- A new Chinese study questions the assumption that striving for the highest possible image quality is always the best approach. Researchers developed an x-ray optimization strategy that cuts the dose of digital radiography (DR) substantially by adjusting dose levels based on the type of exam being conducted.
HCA slammed for unnecessary cath procedures
August 7, 2012 -- The largest for-profit hospital chain in the U.S. is under fire for performing thousands of cardiac catheterization procedures that were medically unnecessary, according to an August 6 article in the New York Times.
Cardiac cath technologist charged in hepatitis C infections
July 24, 2012 -- Federal authorities in New Hampshire have charged a traveling cardiac cath technologist with infecting patients with hepatitis C after he allegedly stole syringes containing fentanyl and replaced the dirty needles with saline solution. The case has authorities fearing an outbreak of hepatitis C in more than half a dozen states.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 5 -- Bullets and bones
 May 29, 2012 -- "Bullets, bones, and kidney stones" was a phrase that sprung up in the earliest months of the medical use of x-rays. Just as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen had noticed that x-rays showed bones minus normal flesh, young surgeons found that the images could show them where surgery could correct problems.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 4 -- Discovering x-rays
 May 18, 2012 -- From PET/CT to pocket-sized ultrasound, radiologists seem to have an unlimited array of powerful medical imaging tools at their disposal. But the roots of the discipline are far more elementary, grounded in a serendipitous finding that occurred in a laboratory in Germany, as noted by radiology historian Otha Linton.
Heart societies issue new guidelines on cardiac cath
May 10, 2012 -- A report issued on Wednesday by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and several other medical societies offers detailed criteria for determining when invasive cardiac catheterization is a reasonable option for evaluating patients for heart disease.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 3 -- X-ray's early martyrs
April 12, 2012 -- How do you make sure a fluoroscope is warmed up? How about putting your hand in front of it until your finger bones appear? That's how early physicians approached the new x-rays discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. Many of these doctors became radiology's first martyrs.
Study links frequent dental x-rays with brain tumors
April 10, 2012 -- People who have received frequent dental x-rays have an increased risk of developing meningioma, according to a case-control study examining the correlation between dental x-rays and meningioma. The findings support the need for practitioners to exercise their best professional judgment when determining whether an imaging study is a diagnostic necessity.
Imaging finds items not on the menu for BBQ lovers
 April 5, 2012 -- Why were people who had recently eaten grilled meat showing up at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence with abdominal pain and painful swallowing? Radiologists and emergency room physicians used x-ray and CT to find the answer -- they had ingested wire bristles from metal brushes used to clean the grills.
SIR: Venous angioplasty relieves multiple sclerosis symptoms
March 28, 2012 -- SAN FRANCISCO - A controversial theory that vascular blockages cause multiple sclerosis (MS) found additional support this week at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting. Researchers showed that using vascular angioplasty to clear blocked veins also quelled some MS symptoms.
SIR: Interventional radiology's role in healthcare is changing
March 27, 2012 -- SAN FRANCISCO - The way healthcare is delivered and reimbursed is changing, and it's crucial for interventional radiologists to understand new models of care in order to protect the subspecialty's turf, according to presentations at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 2 -- Cardiovascular x-ray
March 26, 2012 -- In early 1896, just after the birth of medical x-ray, doctors experimenting with the new rays realized that in addition to imaging bones, the technology was useful for the circulatory system. In part 2 of our series on radiology history, Otha Linton explores the roots of interventional radiology, from Forssmann to Dotter.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 1 -- X-rays after Roentgen
March 21, 2012 -- The story of Roentgen's discovery of x-rays in 1896 is well-known, but less familiar are the advances that came later. In this first article in a new series, radiology historian Otha Linton describes how word of "a new kind of rays" rapidly spread throughout the world, and how the new technology was adopted by medicine.
DR matches analog x-ray for pleural pneumoconiosis
February 16, 2012 -- Another milestone has been reached in establishing equivalency between digital radiography (DR) and conventional film-screen chest radiography for characterizing pneumoconiosis, a set of pulmonary diseases associated with job-related black lung disease and asbestosis.
Study shows CR exposure creep can be slowed, but is hard to stop
January 27, 2012 -- The long-suspected existence of exposure creep has been documented in a long-term study of computed radiography (CR) practices at an Australian teaching hospital. The study highlights the need for uniform exposure standards for CR systems manufactured by different vendors.
Image artifacts degrade digital radiography performance
 January 23, 2012 -- New forms of image artifacts can compromise the performance of digital radiography (DR) equipment, say researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. The group described its experience with DR artifacts and how to correct for them.
U.S. may allow digital x-ray to monitor black lung in miners
January 12, 2012 -- A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would allow lung scans of coal miners to be performed with digital x-ray systems in addition to traditional film-based radiography, according to a proposed rule appearing January 9 in the Federal Register.
Report finds 'questionable' Medicare bills for portable x-ray
December 29, 2011 -- A U.S. government investigation has discovered "questionable" billing patterns in portable x-ray services paid for by Medicare, with the federal government paying up to $20 million in unnecessary claims. Government inspectors have recommended stronger controls over Medicare payments for portable x-ray studies.
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