Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Artificial intelligence (AI) was the hot topic at RSNA 2017, as anyone who was in Chicago the last week of November knows. This week, we're bringing you two articles from the show that demonstrate the impressive potential of this technology.
In our first story, Dutch researchers describe how they used an AI algorithm to interpret screening mammograms, comparing its performance with that of radiologists. They found no statistically significant difference between the approaches. Learn more by clicking here.
Our second article describes an algorithm developed by a company in India to detect abnormalities on chest x-rays. What's unique about the algorithm is that it provides a "heat map" that enables radiologists to see the areas of the image that led the algorithm to make its decision. Read more by clicking here.
Get these stories and more news on the latest in artificial intelligence in radiology at ai.auntminnie.com.
How do DBT and 2D mammo costs compare?
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has been earning rave reviews as a breast imaging tool, initially for diagnostic use and now for screening. While most of the focus on DBT's utility has been on its clinical advantages, a new study presented at last week's San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) indicates that it could have economic advantages as well.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed nearly 50,000 mammograms and associated downstream costs, split almost evenly between DBT and conventional 2D mammography. They found that while DBT had higher initial costs, it was more cost-effective in some screening scenarios over the long term. Find out which ones by clicking here.
In another study from SABCS 2017, researchers found that among high-risk younger women, performing breast MRI scans twice a year was more effective than annual mammography for detecting cancer. Get the rest of the details by clicking here.
Meanwhile, in a study published last week in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers found that breast MRI is not being utilized to the extent that clinical guidelines call for. Read more by clicking here for an article in our Women's Imaging Community, at women.auntminnie.com.
PET/MRI for pelvic cancer
Finally, visit our Molecular Imaging Community for an article on a study by German researchers who used PET/MRI to detect and classify local lesions and metastases of women suspected of having recurrent pelvic cancer. That article is available by clicking here, or go to the community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
