ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Acute Pelvic Pain in the Reproductive Age Group: 2023 Update.

This review focuses on the initial imaging in the reproductive age adult population with acute pelvic pain, including patients with positive and negative beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels with suspected gynecological and nongynecological etiology. For all patients, a combination of transabdominal and transvaginal pelvic ultrasound with Doppler is usually appropriate as an initial imaging study. If nongynecological etiology in patients with negative β-hCG is suspected, then CT of the abdomen and pelvis with or without contrast is also usually appropriate.

Unreimbursed Costs of Multidisciplinary Conferences to a Radiology Department: A Prospective Analysis at an Academic Medical Center.

Purpose: Multidisciplinary conferences (MDCs) are important for clinical care but are unreimbursed and can be time-consuming for radiologists to prepare for and present. The purpose of this single-center, prospective, survey-based study is to measure the per-conference time and total time radiologists devote to MDCs at a single academic medical center. Secondary objectives are to determine the source of radiologist preparation time, and calculate the per conference and overall radiology departmental costs of MDC participation.

Gender Differences in Academic Rank, Leadership, and Awards Among NIH Grant Recipients in Diagnostic Radiology.

Females have been traditionally underrepresented in academia across multiple medical specialties, including radiology. The present study investigated primary investigators (PIs) who received National Institutes of Health (NIH) radiology funding between 2016 and 2019 to establish if there was a correlation between NIH grants, gender, academic rank, first and second tier leadership positions, geographic location, and professional awards. Funding information was obtained from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditure and Results (RePORTER) website for 2016-2019.

Patient, Provider, and Practice Characteristics Predicting Use of Diagnostic Imaging in Primary Care: Cross-Sectional Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Objective: To determine imaging utilization rates in outpatient primary care visits and factors influencing likelihood of imaging use.

Methods: We used 2013 to 2018 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey cross-sectional data. All visits to primary care clinics during the study period were included in the sample.

Practical Tips and a Template for Developing Your Curriculum Vitae.

The Alliance of Leaders in Academic Affairs in Radiology (ALAAR) advocates for a Universal Curriculum Vitae for all medical institutions and to that end, we have developed a template that can be downloaded on the AUR website (ALAAR CV template) that includes all of the elements required by many academic institutions. Members of ALAAR represent multiple academic institutions and have spent many hours reviewing and providing input on radiologists' curricula vitae. The purpose of this review is to help academic radiologists accurately maintain and optimize their CVs with minimal effort and to clarify common questions that arise at many different institutions in the process of constructing a CV.

Defining the Roles and Responsibilities for the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs/Faculty Development in Radiology.

Rationale And Objectives: To inform the development of a job description for Vice-Chairs for academic affairs (VCAA), members of the Alliance of Leaders in Academic Affairs in Radiology (ALAAR) were surveyed to better understand their current job responsibilities and how they would ideally allocate their professional time.

Materials And Methods: Based on a survey of 33 university-affiliated radiology departments and discussion among ALAAR members, the authors developed a detailed job description for the VCAA. The 21-question survey was composed and validated by experts in the field.

Radiology Training Program Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had major effects on radiology training programs throughout the country. Many of the challenges were shared, with some variation depending on the size and geographic location of each program. While some initial modifications, such as platoon-type scheduling and redeployment, have been abandoned, other changes such as home workstations and the option of remote conferences have become more permanently incorporated.

Equity, diversity & inclusion in academic radiology: An elusive dream.

Background: Disparities in sex and race/ethnicity continue to persist in the academic radiology. This study addresses the sex/racial underrepresentation and evolution in the academic radiology.

Purpose: To evaluate academic radiology temporal trends disparities by analyzing sex and race/ethnicity diversity in academic degree and tenure status.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Fibroids.

Uterine fibroids (leiomyomas or myomas) are the most common neoplasm of the uterus. Though incompletely understood, fibroid etiology is multifactorial, a combination of genetic alterations and endocrine, autocrine, environmental, and other factors such as race, age, parity, and body mass index. Black women have greater than an 80% incidence of fibroids by age 50, whereas White women have an incidence approaching 70%.

Contemporary image-guided cervical cancer brachytherapy: Consensus imaging recommendations from the Society of Abdominal Radiology and the American Brachytherapy Society.

Purpose: To present recommendations for the use of imaging for evaluation and procedural guidance of brachytherapy for cervical cancer patients.

Methods: An expert panel comprised of members of the Society of Abdominal Radiology Uterine and Ovarian Cancer Disease Focused Panel and the American Brachytherapy Society jointly assessed the existing literature and provide data-driven guidance on imaging protocol development, interpretation, and reporting.

Results: Image-guidance during applicator implantation reduces rates of uterine perforation by the tandem.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in Females.

Pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse (POP), urinary dysfunction, defecatory dysfunction, and complications after pelvic floor surgery are relatively common in the female population. Imaging tests are obtained when the initial clinical evaluation is thought to be incomplete or inconclusive or demonstrates findings that are discordant with patients' symptoms. An integrated imaging approach is optimal to evaluate the complex anatomy and dynamic functionality of the pelvic floor.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Newly Diagnosed Palpable Scrotal Abnormality.

Palpable scrotal abnormalities are caused by a variety of disorders, ranging from indolent benign conditions to aggressive tumors, and infectious and vascular processes. In these patients the diagnostic workup typically begins with a complete clinical, history, and physical examinations, including analysis of risk factors. If imaging is required, ultrasound examination is the diagnostic modality of choice.

Predictors of CT Colonography Use: Results From the 2019 National Health Interview Cross-Sectional Survey.

Purpose: CT colonography (CTC) is a minimally invasive screening test with high sensitivity for colonic polyps (>1 cm). Prior studies suggest that CTC utilization remains low. However, there are few studies evaluating recent CTC utilization and predictors of CTC utilization.

Gender of Department Chair and Paid Parental Leave Benefits in Academic Radiology Residency Programs.

Rationale And Objectives: Residency training often overlaps with prime childbearing years, yet variability in availability and duration of parental leave in residency can complicate the decision to become parents. Gender disparities in attitudes towards parenthood in residency is well recognized, with females generally reporting more concerns surrounding prolonged training, hindrance of future career plans, and negative perception from peers. However, gender of the department chair has not yet been examined as a factor influencing parental leave policies for residents in Radiology.

Self-Care and Storytelling for Radiologists: A Feasibility Study.

Rationale And Objectives: Physician wellness and burnout mitigation strategies have become priority practices in recent years. Despite these efforts, however, physicians living with the psychological effects of the current COVID-19 global pandemic, political stressors, and social injustices, face ever increasing threats to their personal and professional well-being. This manuscript investigates the process of storytelling as a self-care practice for radiologists.

Collaborative Writing Projects: Set Yourself up for Success.

This article will review critical components for the successful completion of a multi-institution, multiauthor collaborative paper. Best practices for the creation and publication of a collaborative paper will be addressed.

Abdominal fellowship-trained versus generalist radiologist accuracy when interpreting MR and CT for the diagnosis of appendicitis.

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of generalist radiologists working in a community setting against abdominal radiologists working in an academic setting for the interpretation of MR when diagnosing acute appendicitis among emergency department patients.

Methods: This observational study examined MR image interpretation (non-contrast MR with diffusion-weighted imaging and intravenous contrast-enhanced MR) from a prospectively enrolled cohort at an academic hospital over 18 months. Eligible patients had an abdominopelvic CT ordered to evaluate for appendicitis and were > 11 years old.

Initial Experience With Low-Dose 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Deep Learning Enhancement.

Objective: To demonstrate the utility of deep learning enhancement (DLE) to achieve diagnostic quality low-dose positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Methods: Twenty subjects with known Crohn disease underwent simultaneous PET/MR imaging after intravenous administration of approximately 185 MBq of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Five image sets were generated: (1) standard-of-care (reference), (2) low-dose (ie, using 20% of PET counts), (3) DLE-enhanced low-dose using PET data as input, (4) DLE-enhanced low-dose using PET and MR data as input, and (5) DLE-enhanced using no PET data input.