Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,
Breast screening programs across Europe have restarted over recent weeks, but low participation rates continue to generate concern, so the publication on Wednesday of an important study led by the highly respected Prof. Stephen Duffy is very timely indeed.
What were the key findings and implications? Find out more in our Women's Imaging Community.
MRI safety has been a recurring theme at this week's virtual conference of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), as you can see from a series of reports in the MRI Community.
Researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration collected data on adverse events from 2008 to 2017 and presented their results at the ISMRM virtual meeting on Thursday. They found thermal burns that caused skin reddening, blisters, burns, and even fire and smoke accounted for 59% of all reports. Mechanical injuries (slips, falls, and broken bones) and errant projectiles rounded out the top three in the list of most cited reasons for accidents in the MRI suite.
A group from the National Institute of Research into Metrology (INRiM) in Turin, Italy, has also looked at the thermal effects of MRI due to the switching of gradient coil fields in scans on patients with metallic hip implants. Its analysis deserves a close look, as does a survey from Belgium about the potential dangers of scanning patients with implantable hearing devices.
Another ISMRM presentation looked at radiofrequency-induced heating in patients with tattoos. Intriguingly, the authors found that the level of risk can vary according to the type of tattoo and its position on the body.
Over recent years, congress organizers have tried hard to emphasize the green credentials of large events, but a new investigation from Germany has taken a detailed look at the evidence, including the carbon footprint of the ISMRM.
Finally, the ISMRM congress continues today, so our editorial team will continue to post further reports. Make sure you check out the RADCast @ ISMRM section at radcast.auntminnie.com.
