Dear Digital X-Ray Insider,
The Belgian city of Ghent is famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture, attractive harbor, and stunning museums, but in the medical field, its fame is spreading too. A new cath lab has just opened, and Dr. Yves Taeymans is excited about the development. You can read about the center by clicking here, or visit the Digital X-Ray Digital Community.
Junior doctors are often responsible for organizing and requesting imaging studies, so it's vital they're fully aware of radiation exposures associated with common investigations. It's of deep concern, therefore, that a new survey conducted at one of London's top hospitals suggests many less experienced doctors are unaware of radiation doses and the possible risks of ionizing radiation. To learn more, click here.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been busy conducting surveys of its own in the area of radiation exposure. The Vienna-based organization found that no national programs currently exist to track patient radiation exposure, although Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Slovakia, and the U.S. are all setting up programs. Get the story here.
The information given to patients can have a major impact on their decision about whether to accept a cancer screening invitation. Program organizers must take a more balanced and thoughtful approach, if an article in the British Medical Journal is to be believed. Click here for staff writer Rebekah Moan's news report.
Radiography features increasingly often in the world of modern art, according to researchers from Serbia, writing in the American Journal of Roentgenology. To find out more and to view some really stunning images, click here.
Meanwhile, a Swiss group has been focusing on infertility in women and how physicians use hysterosalpingography to examine uterine wall irregularities, intrauterine adhesions, and congenital abnormalities. Click here to learn more.
The events surrounding the discovery of x-rays in 1895 are still subject to scrutiny and debate. You can read Otha Linton's column on this fascinating period of history by clicking here.
For additional coverage, make sure you check back regularly at the Digital X-Ray Digital Community.
