Dear AuntMinnie Member,
As CT lung cancer screening seems to gain momentum, a new paper reminds radiologists that radiation should be top of mind when deciding how and whether to set up a screening program.
The article in the July edition of the American Journal of Roentgenology examines what we know about the health effects of low levels of radiation, and the difficulties we've encountered in acquiring that knowledge.
This is followed by a cost and benefits analysis of the major CT-based screening tests, including lung cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, and whole-body screening. Guess which one doesn't belong in the responsible radiology practice? We think you might know, but the details are definitely worth a click here, or a visit to the CT community at ct.auntminnie.com.
Imaging and new payment models
It's no secret that healthcare is changing. New payment models for healthcare services are rising, and, unfortunately for radiology, many of those models are looking to cut spending on medical imaging.
How should radiology adapt? That's the focus of a new article in our Imaging Leaders Digital Community, where Teri Yates of Accountable Radiology Advisors offers her prescription for dealing with the new reality.
Ms. Yates believes that radiology should concentrate on four key priorities as imaging services move from being a revenue stream to a cost center. Find out what they are by clicking here, or visit the community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
MRI scans inspire art
Finally, be sure to visit our MRI Digital Community for a story by copy and production editor Nicole Pettit on a California artist who has developed a series of fascinating works of art, inspired by MRI scans.
The genesis for the project came from artist Laura Jacobson's experiences as a research subject in a test of a new 3-tesla MRI scanner at Stanford University. Ms. Jacobson obtained copies of her own brain scans, and they served as inspiration for a set of mixed-media creations, many of which are now hanging at Stanford's Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging.
See them for yourself by clicking here, or visit our MRI Digital Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
![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)
