Health Imaging & IT - January 2009 - (Page 32)

Stat Sheet MRI shows new types of injuries in young gymnasts Adolescent gymnasts are developing a wide variety of arm, wrist and hand injuries that are beyond the scope of previously described gymnastic-related trauma, according to a study presented at the 2008 meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The researchers used MR to study overuse injuries seen in the skeletally immature wrists and hands of gymnasts. They studied wrist and hand images of 125 patients, ages 12 to 16, including 12 gymnasts with chronic wrist or hand pain. “We were surprised to be looking at injuries every step down the hand all the way from the radius to the small bones in the wrist and on to the ends of the finger bones at the knuckles,” the authors said. New CT technology shows anorexia impairs adolescent bone development Children and teenagers with even mild cases of anorexia exhibit abnormal bone structure, according to a study in the December issue of Radiology. Researchers used high-resolution, flat-panel volume CT and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to study 10 adolescent girls with mild anorexia and 10 age-matched girls without the disorder. The new CT exam allowed the researchers to identify differences in bone structure between the patients with anorexia and the healthy controls, whereas bone mineral density measurements obtained using DXA did not. They found that while there was not a significant difference in bone mineral density between the anorexic patients and the healthy control group, there were significant structural differences, indicating that changes in bone structure begin to occur in anorexic patients well before decreases in bone density. Study finds doubling of imaging studies in managed care Use of radiology imaging tests has soared in the past decade with a significant increase in newer technologies, according to a study in the November/ December issue of Health Affairs. Researchers conducted the study using data from 377,000 patients enrolled in the Group Health Cooperative in Washington State between 1997 and 2006. The study population underwent five million radiology tests during the 10-year period. The researchers found an increase in the number of newer, pricier tests, such as CT and MRI scans. In 1997, 13.5 percent of the study group had undergone a CT, MRI, or both, and in 2006 it was 21 percent. Results showed the per-patient number of CT scans doubled over the 10 years, and the number of MRI scans tripled. MRI machines may damage cochlear implants Patients with cochlear implants may want to steer clear of certain magnetic imaging devices, such as 3T MRIs, because the machines can demagnetize the patient’s implant, according to a study published in the December issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The researchers discovered that during routine use of 3T MRI machines at angles above 80 degrees, an unacceptable level of demagnetization was reached, causing permanent damage to devices with non-removable magnets and creating the potential of exposing patients to undesirable magnetic forces. New ultrasound treatment may eliminate heel pain from plantar fasciitis Combining an ultrasound-guided technique with steroid injection is 95 percent effective at relieving the common and painful foot problem called plantar fasciitis, according to a study presented at RSNA 2008. Investigators used ultrasound to guide steroid injection on 44 patients with plantar fasciitis, who were unresponsive to conservative shockwave treatments. After the 15-minute procedure, the researchers found that symptoms disappeared for 95 percent of the patients within three weeks. Radiologists could diagnose, treat self-inflicted injuries in teens Minimally invasive, image-guided treatment is a safe and precise method for removal of self-inflicted foreign objects from the body, based on the first report of self-injury and self-inflicted foreign body insertion in adolescents, according to research presented at the 2008 meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting. Investigators studied 19 episodes of self-embedding injury in 10 adolescent girls. Using ultrasound and/or fluoroscopic guidance, interventional pediatric radiologists removed 52 embedded foreign objects from nine of the patients. Ultrasound guidance allowed the researchers to detect the presence and location of wood, crayons and plastic objects, not detectable on an x-ray exam. 32 Health Imaging & IT | January 2009 HealthImaging.com http://www.HealthImaging.com

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Health Imaging & IT - January 2009 Contents The Enterprise News Update DR Breathes New Life into Radiography Radiology in the Spotlight Educational Sessions Keynote Addresses Tech Trends on the Exhibit Floor Imaging Tools Managing Technology People & Technology Reader's Resource

Health Imaging & IT - January 2009

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