Dear AuntMinnie CT Insider,
As the number of patients who are admitted to the emergency department increases, overcrowding has become a real issue, and some critics point to imaging scan times -- particularly CT exams -- as part of the problem.
In this edition's Insider Exclusive, we're highlighting research published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography that describes how a relatively simple educational intervention can shorten CT scan times and patients' length of stay in the emergency department -- and even help patients avoid unnecessary surgical interventions.
When you've finished reading that story, check out our reporting on other CT research, including a pictorial essay that highlights how COVID-19 manifests in critically ill patients on PET/CT imaging; why CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is an effective way to assess patients experiencing acute chest pain; how deep-learning can help clinicians determine whether a patient can safely undergo low-dose CT lung cancer screening at biennial intervals rather than annually; and how, despite high rates of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the risk in outpatients after infection is low.
Also take a look at what presenters at the recent ECR meeting had to say about CT's role in the imaging enterprise and how best to avoid reporting errors.
Finally, find out what a team of South Korean researchers discovered regarding dual-layer CT with high-contrast images for preoperative staging of breast cancer.
CT is a go-to modality for so much of patient care, whether it's trauma imaging or disease screening and staging. Keep up on its many benefits by visiting the CT Community regularly, and if you have CT-related topics you'd like us to consider, please contact me.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
