Can Radiologists Learn From Airport Baggage Screening?: A Survey About Using Fictional Patients for Quality Assurance.

Rationale And Objectives: For both airport baggage screeners and radiologists, low target prevalence is associated with low detection rate, a phenomenon known as "prevalence effect." In airport baggage screening, the target prevalence is artificially increased with fictional weapons that are digitally superimposed on real baggage. This strategy improves the detection rate of real weapons and also allows airport supervisors to monitor screener performance.

How Much Does Lead Shielding during Fluoroscopy Reduce Radiation Dose to Out-of-Field Body Parts?

Background: Fluoroscopy technologists routinely place a lead shield between the x-ray table and the patient's gonads, even if the gonads are not directly in the x-ray field. Internal scatter radiation is the greatest source of radiation to out-of-field body parts, but a shield placed between the patient and the x-ray source will not block internal scatter. Prior nonfluoroscopy research has shown that there is a small reduction in radiation dose when shielding the leakage radiation that penetrates through the collimator shutters.

Congenital midline cervical cleft.

Congenital midline cervical cleft is a rare anomaly that typically presents in the neonatal period as a thin suprasternal vertical band of erythematous skin with a nipple-like projection superiorly, which may exude fluid. We present the clinical and pathophysiologic features and the imaging findings of this uncommon, and rarely described entity in a newborn girl.

Pairwise comparison versus Likert scale for biomedical image assessment.

Objective: Biomedical imaging research relies heavily on the subjective and semi-quantitative reader analysis of images. Current methods are limited by interreader variability and fixed upper and lower limits. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of two assessment methods, pairwise comparison and Likert scale, for improved analysis of biomedical images.

Journal Club: Structured radiology reports are more complete and more effective than unstructured reports.

Objective: The radiology report serves as the primary method of communication about imaging findings. Traditional free-text (i.e.

Computed tomography depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is extremely important in characterizing blood vessel anatomy and vascular lesions in children. Recent advances in CT reconstruction technology hold promise for improved image quality and also reductions in radiation dose. This report evaluates potential improvements in image quality for the depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction (Veo™), a technique developed to improve image quality and reduce noise.

Digitization of medicine: how radiology can take advantage of the digital revolution.

In the era of medical cost containment, radiologists must continually maintain their actual and perceived value to patients, payers, and referring providers. Exploitation of current and future digital technologies may be the key to defining and promoting radiology's "brand" and assure our continued relevance in providing predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine. The Association of University of Radiologists Radiology Research Alliance Digitization of Medicine Task Force was formed to explore the opportunities and challenges of the digitization of medicine that are relevant to radiologists, which include the reporting paradigm, computational biology, and imaging informatics.

Intuition versus rational thinking: psychological challenges in radiology and a potential solution.

Humans think overwhelmingly intuitively rather than rationally. We perceive what is apparent to us and attribute differences in perception to the fault of others. Many cognitive biases are unconscious, and we assume they affect others more than ourselves.

Embedding 3D radiology models in portable document format.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to discuss how to convert cross-sectional images into a 3D model and embed them in a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Four programs are used: OsiriX, MeshLab, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. Step-by-step instructions are provided.

MRI for the evaluation of pectus excavatum.

Pectus excavatum, the most common congenital deformity of the anterior chest wall, is both a cosmetic and functional abnormality. The degree of abnormal chest wall deformity determines its functional effect, particularly its cardiac and pulmonary impact. Although CT scanning is the most widely used cross-sectional imaging technique used to measure the Haller index, the radiation exposure is reason to seek other alternatives.

Osteochondromas and growth retardation secondary to externally or internally administered radiation in childhood.

For over five decades, osteochondromas (exostoses) and associated growth retardation have been known to be caused by radiation damage to the growing skeleton. Patients can be divided into three exposure groups. Group I received external beam radiation therapy primarily for the treatment of childhood cancers (typical dose 3,500 cGy), and 6-20% developed osteochondromas and growth retardation within the radiation portal.