Ultrasonographic Detection of Airway Obstruction in a Model of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinical disorder characterized by repetitive airway obstruction during sleep. The gold standard for diagnosis of OSA, polysomnogram (PSG), cannot anatomically localize obstruction. Precise identification of obstruction has potential to improve outcomes following surgery.

Science to Practice: What Light through Yonder Tumor Breaks: Noninvasive Staging of Cancer--Shining a Light on Disease.

Photoacoustic imaging imparts the ability to distinguish materials according to their differences in optical absorption (ie, their color) with the high spatial and temporal resolution of ultrasonography (US). Experiments in rats show the advantages this approach would have in the clinically important noninvasive determination of the presence of tumor in the lymph nodes draining a tumor, providing the ability to achieve the results of total axillary lymph node dissection without the risks of surgery or even percutaneous sentinel node biopsy. The coupling of this technique to a conventional US imaging system gives the promise of rapid translation to clinical use.

Unbiased review of digital diagnostic images in practice: informatics prototype and pilot study.

Rationale And Objectives: Clinical and contextual information associated with images may influence how radiologists draw diagnostic inferences, highlighting the need to control multiple sources of bias in the methodologic design of investigations involving radiologic interpretation. In the past, manual control methods to mask review films presented in practice have been used to reduce potential interpretive bias associated with differences between viewing images for patient care and reviewing images for the purposes of research, education, and quality improvement. These manual precedents from the film era raise the question whether similar methods to reduce bias can be implemented in the modern digital environment.

Science to practice: Son et Lumiere--understanding tumor heterogeneity.

Treatment of cancer is often confounded by tumor heterogeneity.Variations in perfusion inhibit drug delivery to all parts of the tumor (1). Differences in oxygen tension (Po2)cause variations in response to radiation therapy (2).

Should post-processing be performed by the radiologist?

Post-processing of volumetric data sets lands in a fuzzy boundary between the technologist and the radiologist. Is this the role of the technologist as part of image preparation? Or is it the beginning of the diagnostic process by the radiologist? Technology advances in real-time server side rendering platforms is challenging the traditional role of expensive dedicated advanced visualizations workstations with dedicated personnel. Will this also challenge the role of a dedicated 3D post-processing technologist?

Science to practice: photoacoustic imaging--can it let us see color and function deep inside the body?

Photoacoustic imaging imparts the ability to distinguish materials according to their differences in optical absorption (ie, their colors) with the high spatial and temporal resolution of ultrasonography (US). Experiments in rats demonstrate the advantages this approach would have in the clinically important application of percutaneous sentinel node biopsy. The incorporation of the technique in a conventional US imaging system gives promise of rapid translation to clinical use.

Live augmented reality: a new visualization method for laparoscopic surgery using continuous volumetric computed tomography.

Background: Current laparoscopic images are rich in surface detail but lack information on deeper structures. This report presents a novel method for highlighting these structures during laparoscopic surgery using continuous multislice computed tomography (CT). This has resulted in a more accurate augmented reality (AR) approach, termed "live AR," which merges three-dimensional (3D) anatomy from live low-dose intraoperative CT with live images from the laparoscope.

Informatics in radiology: automated Web-based graphical dashboard for radiology operational business intelligence.

Radiology departments today are faced with many challenges to improve operational efficiency, performance, and quality. Many organizations rely on antiquated, paper-based methods to review their historical performance and understand their operations. With increased workloads, geographically dispersed image acquisition and reading sites, and rapidly changing technologies, this approach is increasingly untenable.

The academic RVU: a system for measuring academic productivity.

Despite the importance of teaching, research, and related activities to the mission of academic medical departments, no useful and widely agreed-on metrics exist with which to assess the value of individual faculty members' contributions in these areas. Taking the concept of the clinical relative value unit (RVU) as a model, the authors describe the development of an academic RVU (aRVU) system that assigns weights to and creates formulas for assessing productivity in publications, teaching, administrative and community service, and research. The resulting aRVU schema was implemented on a Web-based system that incorporates a number of novel tools, including a curriculum vitae manager that automatically maintains and calculates total aRVU scores and breaks out component elements for each individual and for the department as a whole.

Radio frequency identification systems technology in the surgical setting.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that will have a profound impact on medicine and the operating room of the future. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to this exciting technology and a description of the problems in the perioperative environment that RFID might address to improve safety and increase productivity. Although RFID is still a nascent technology, applications are likely to become much more visible in patient care and treatment areas and will raise questions for practitioners.

Lack of interaction between magnetic resonance imaging and the copper-T380A IUD.

To determine if the CuT380A (ParaGard) IUD is affected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in vitro studies utilizing a CuT380A IUD (ParaGard), a copper-bearing IUD, and a Signa 1.5T HR system were used to evaluate whether the dynamic magnetic forces generated by the MRI resulted in movement, torque, or heat when the IUD was exposed to the magnetic field generated by the MRI. There was no deflection, turning motion (torque), or temperature change when the IUD was exposed to a magnetic field.

Frameless 3D volume registration of MR data sets for stereotactic pallidotomy.

Frameless 3D volume registration of Magnetic Resonance (MR) and computed (CT) data sets has been described by Kummar et al. [11]. Its use in 3D volume registration for stereotactic planning in patients undergoing pallidotomy is presented.

Greater residual vision in monkeys after striate cortex damage in infancy.

1. Monkeys with large unilateral surgical ablations of striate cortex, sustained either in adulthood or at 5-6 wk of age, were trained on an oculomotor detection and localization task and tested with visual stimuli in the hemifields ipsilateral and contralateral to the lesion 2-5 yr after surgery. 2.

Intracranial route of a cervical neuroblastoma through skull base foramina.

A case of primary cervical neuroblastoma gaining access to the cerebellopontine angle via direct perineural spread is described. MRI effectively delineated soft tissues, while CT demonstrated tumor calcifications and the integrity of adjacent bones. Both imaging modalities were beneficial in predicting the unique histology and pattern of disease confirmed at surgery.