A Radiologist's Guide to the Industry: A Methodical Approach to Physician-Industry Relationships in Radiology.

In the last century, rapidly advancing technological innovations have become essential components of modern healthcare, increasing the frequency and necessity of interactions between physicians and industry. These interactions have the potential to bias objectivity and should be approached carefully. A recent JACR article by Harvey et al, highlighted 2014 CMS data, which reported that only 4% of radiologists had interactions with industry, coming in second lowest amongst all 19 reported specialties.

The Sonographic Stenosis Index: A New Specific Quantitative Measure of Transplant Hepatic Arterial Stenosis.

Objectives: This study evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of stenosis index (SI), which accounts for the entire spectral Doppler waveform, to detect significant transplant hepatic arterial stenosis.

Materials And Methods: In this institutional review board-approved, HIPAA compliant study, we retrospectively analyzed 69 patients who had catheter angiography for suspected transplant hepatic arterial stenosis (THAS) between January 2006 and December 2010; all patients had Doppler ultrasound within 30 days before angiography. Patients with angiographic stenosis requiring intervention were considered positive for THAS.

Vertebral Artery Transection in Nonpenetrating Trauma: A Series of 4 Patients.

Blunt cerebrovascular injury is a common and potentially devastating consequence of nonpenetrating trauma to the head and neck. The degree of injury ranges from minimal intimal disruption to complete transection with free extravasation. Although blunt carotid transection has been well characterized in clinical reports and radiologic studies, the computed tomographic angiography (CTA) features of blunt vertebral artery transection have not been well described.

Burnout in Radiology.

Burnout is a psychological syndrome that arises in the setting of prolonged work-related stress. Although its specific manifestations are highly variable, the core features of burnout include emotional exhaustion, callousness or apathy towards patients or peers, and feelings of personal inadequacy. Burnout can have profound consequences for the affected physician, his or her patients, and the health care system at large.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in the noncirrhotic liver.

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) that arise in noncirrhotic livers have several histologic and biochemical features that distinguish them from HCCs occurring in the setting of cirrhosis. Because the presentation, management, and prognosis of these entities are distinct, the accurate preoperative characterization of these lesions is of great clinical significance. We review the pathogenesis, imaging appearance, and clinical implications of noncirrhotic HCCs as they pertain to the clinical radiologist.

Multimodality imaging of diseases of the duodenum.

The duodenum is a unique segment of intestine, occupying both intra and extra-peritoneal locations. There is a wide spectrum of abnormalities of the duodenum that range from congenital anomalies to traumatic, inflammatory, and neoplastic entities. The duodenum may be overlooked on cross-sectional imaging due to its location and small size.

Internal versus external moonlighting by radiology trainees: differences in roles and responsibilities.

Rationale And Objectives: Recent survey data have suggested that the paid extracurricular activities of radiology trainees (known as "moonlighting") are more diverse than has been previously recognized. The purpose of this study is to examine these activities in further detail and to assess for differences between clinical duties performed at institutions affiliated with residents' training programs ("internal moonlighting") versus those performed at unaffiliated institutions ("external moonlighting").

Materials And Methods: Electronic survey data were collected from trainee members of the Association of University Radiologists regarding their extracurricular clinical work, with an emphasis on their responsibilities when working in institutions that are affiliated with their training program versus work done in unaffiliated institutions.

Design and implementation of handheld and desktop software for the structured reporting of hepatic masses using the LI-RADS schema.

Rationale And Objectives: The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) can enhance communication between radiologists and clinicians if applied consistently. We identified an institutional need to improve liver imaging report standardization and developed handheld and desktop software to serve this purpose.

Materials And Methods: We developed two complementary applications that implement the LI-RADS schema.

The sonographic stenosis index: computer simulation of a novel method for detecting and quantifying arterial narrowing.

Purpose: We introduce a new technique for quantifying arterial stenoses, stenosis index (SI), using frequency analysis of the spectral Doppler waveform.

Methods: Spectral Doppler waveforms obtained distal to arterial stenoses were enveloped, and the envelope was transformed into the frequency domain via Fourier transform. Stenosis index represents the ratio of the power in high-frequency harmonics to the power in the fundamental frequency.

The emotional wellness of radiology trainees: prevalence and predictors of burnout.

Rationale And Objectives: Burnout is a complex phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, social detachment, and feelings of low personal achievement. In this study, we aim to establish the prevalence of burnout among radiology trainees and to explore the factors influencing its development.

Materials And Methods: Survey data were collected from 266 trainee members of the Association of University Radiologists to assess financial status, attitudes toward money and compensation, and burnout symptomology.

Transfer patient imaging: current status, review of the literature, and the Harborview experience.

Patients transferred for higher levels of care often arrive with medical imaging from the outside facility, with or without accompanying radiology reports. The handling of pretransfer studies by receiving radiologists introduces several concerns regarding resource utilization, medicolegal risk, and technical quality control. The authors review the current status of transfer patient imaging, with an emphasis on the role of the receiving emergency radiologist.

Arterial closure device to achieve hemostasis in children following percutaneous femoral arterial puncture.

Background: Percutaneous arterial closure devices have increasingly entered clinical practice to assist in achieving femoral arterial access site hemostasis. Prior studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of several arterial closure devices in adults.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of using an arterial closure device in children.

The nature and scope of moonlighting by radiology trainees.

Rationale And Objectives: The practice of moonlighting by trainees is a longstanding controversy; however, the resident point of view remains distinctly underrepresented in the radiology literature. We report the resident perspective on the moonlighting practices of radiology trainees.

Methods: Survey data were collected from resident members of the Association of University Radiologists representing 84 training programs in the United States to assess their routine and extracurricular clinical responsibilities.

Imaging of granulomatous fibrosing mediastinitis.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to review and illustrate the pathogenesis, natural history, imaging features, and treatment of granulomatous fibrosing mediastinitis.

Conclusion: Granulomatous fibrosing mediastinitis is an infiltrative disorder characterized by encasement of the mediastinal viscera; in most cases in the United States, it represents an idiosyncratic immune response to histoplasma. Familiarity with the various imaging features of fibrosing mediastinitis is important for prompt and accurate diagnosis as well as for planning and guiding surgical and less-invasive treatments.