Presentations at Tuesday's RSNA conference

Beverage Can Stay-Tabs Pose Swallowing Risk

A new study from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reports that beverage can stay-tabs pose a potential ingestion risk. In the 1970s, U.S. manufacturers switched to the stay-tab design after safety concerns about pull-tabs. The new study found 19 cases of stay-tab ingestion at a single institution, mainly among teenagers. Further, the study found that most ingested stay-tabs are not visible on x-rays. Ingestion of foreign bodies with sharp edges can cause injury to the gastrointestinal tract. This study will be presented by Lane F. Donnelly, M.D.

Unindicated CT Series Result in Unnecessary Radiation Exposure for Patients

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin - Madison found that more than half of patients undergoing abdominal CT received unnecessary additional imaging series resulting in excess, avoidable radiation exposure. The researchers reviewed the appropriateness and radiation dose of abdomen and pelvis CT exams for 500 patients performed at outside institutions and submitted to UW - Madison for interpretation. There were a total of 978 series for the 500 patients. Approximately 35 percent (345/978) of the CT series in 52 percent (261/500) of the patients were determined to be unindicated. The mean excess radiation dose per patient from unnecessary scans was 11.3 millisieverts (mSv), equivalent to the dose received from 113 chest x-rays. This study will be presented by Kristie Guite, M.D.

Smart Phones Allow Quick Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

A new study from University of Virginia at Charlottesville determined that radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a handheld device or mobile phone. Typically, a patient arriving at the emergency room with suspected appendicitis will undergo computed tomography (CT). If a radiologist is not immediately available to interpret the CT images or if consultation with a specialist is needed, diagnosis is delayed, increasing the risk of rupture. Readers using iPhones were 99 percent accurate in diagnosing acute appendicitis. This study will be presented by Asim F. Choudhri, M.D.

Elastography Reduces Unnecessary Breast Biopsies

A new study from Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, N.Y., found that elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous from benign breast lesions and has the potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies. For the study, 179 patients underwent breast ultrasound and elastography. Elastography properly identified 98 percent of lesions that had malignant findings on biopsy, and 82 percent of lesions that turned out to be benign. Elastography was also more accurate than ultrasound in gauging the size of the lesions. Currently, 80 percent of breast biopsies yield benign results. This study will be presented by Stamatia V. Destounis, M.D.

Too Much Physical Activity May Lead to Arthritis

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be unknowingly causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis. For the study 236 asymptomatic participants, age 45 - 55, within a healthy weight range were separated into low-, middle-, and high-activity groups based on their responses to a standardized physical activity questionnaire. Subsequent MRI analysis indicated a relationship between physical activity levels and frequency and severity of knee damage. Abnormalities were associated solely with activity levels and were not age or gender specific. The findings also indicated that some high-impact, weight-bearing activities carry a greater risk of knee damage over time. This study will be presented by Christoph Stehling, M.D.

Tuesday news conferences focus on the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer from screening mammography, early diagnosis of a life-threatening pregnancy complication, improved skin cancer detection, brain damage caused by lead exposure, spinal abnormalities in overweight adolescents and the association between peripheral arterial disease and serious heart disease.