Expert Panel Addresses Safety in Medical Imaging

CHICAGO—An expert panel convened today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) to discuss medical imaging appropriateness, ionizing radiation from imaging procedures, and efforts under way to curb overutilization, decrease radiation dose, and educate patients on the risks and benefits of medical imaging.

Panel members included:

James A. Brink, M.D. Image courtesy of Yale University School of Medicine.
• James A. Brink, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of diagnostic radiology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and co-chairman of the joint Adult Radiation Protection Task Force cosponsored by the RSNA and the American College of Radiology (ACR).
• William R. Hendee, Ph.D., distinguished professor of radiology, radiation oncology, biophysics and bioethics at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
• Christoph Wald, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice-chairman of the department of radiology at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., and associate professor of radiology at Tufts University Medical School in Boston; and
• Moderator Mary C. Mahoney, M.D., professor of radiology and director of Breast Imaging at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and chair of the RSNA Public Information Committee.

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Expert Panel Addresses Safety in Medical Imaging

New Study Reports Effects of Endurance Running

CHICAGO—Using a mobile MRI unit, researchers followed runners for two months along a 4,500-kilometer course to study how their bodies responded to the high-stress conditions of an ultra-long-distance race, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

A series of MR images of the brain showing loss of gray matter volume. Image and caption courtesy of the RSNA.

"Due to the exceptional setting of this study, we could acquire huge amounts of unique data regarding how endurance running affects the body's muscle and body fat," said Uwe Schütz, M.D., a specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery in the department of diagnostic and interventional radiology at the University Hospital of Ulm in Germany. "Much of what we have learned so far can also be applied to the average runner."

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New Study Reports Effects of Endurance Running

Annual Breast Cancer Screening Beginning at Age 40 Reduces Mastectomy Risk

CHICAGO—Having a yearly mammogram greatly reduces the risk of mastectomy following breast cancer in women between the ages of 40 and 50, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).


"The results of this study support the importance of regular screening in the 40 to 50 age group," said lead author Nicholas M. Perry, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.R., director of The London Breast Institute at The Princess Grace Hospital in London. "Women in this age group who had undergone mammography the previous year had a mastectomy rate of less than half that of the others."
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Belly Fat Puts Women at Risk for Osteoporosis

CHICAGO—For years, it was believed that obese women were at lower risk for developing osteoporosis, and that excess body fat actually protected against bone loss. However, a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) found that having too much internal abdominal fat may, in fact, have a damaging effect on bone health.
"We know that obesity is a major public health problem," said the study's lead author, Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Now we know that abdominal obesity needs to be included as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone loss."

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Belly Fat Puts Women at Risk for Osteoporosis