Second-opinion interpretations of neuroimaging studies by oncologic neuroradiologists can help reduce errors in cancer care.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility and clinical impact of second-opinion interpretations of outside neuroimaging studies by oncologic neuroradiologists at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of initial outside and second-opinion radiology reports from 300 computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies and identified cases with discrepancies between the two reports. An adult neuro-oncologist, pediatric neuro-oncologist, and head and neck surgeon reviewed each pair of discrepant reports based on their area of expertise, patient age, and the type of study performed.

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI in Low-Grade Versus Anaplastic Oligodendrogliomas.

Background And Purpose: Low-grade and anaplastic oligodendrogliomas are often difficult to differentiate on the basis of conventional MR imaging characteristics. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI can assess tumor microvasculature and has demonstrated utility for predicting glioma grade and prognosis in primary brain tumors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of plasma volume (Vp) and volume transfer coefficient (K(trans) ) derived from DCE MRI in differentiating between grade II and grade III oligodendrogliomas.