American College of Radiology blog

Unnecessary Invasive Breast Biopsies

In case you missed it, CBS News recently aired a story regarding a study which showed that approximately 600,000 women each year receive invasive breast biopsies performed by surgeons when referring them to a radiologist for a needle/stereotactic biopsy would be just as effective at confirming or ruling out cancer, would be less costly, less invasive, and would leave the patient with a far smaller scar.

If you are having trouble viewing the video below, it can also be viewed on the CBS Web site (a short commercial will air before the segment begins).

I am not a breast imager by subspecialty, but would be interested to know whether this is a pattern of referral behavior that you are seeing in your market (without mentioning specific names).

If so — what do you think radiologists can and/or should do to counter this trend?

What would you recommend that patients ask their referring physicians regarding this process?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Scanning for Truth: New Opportunities for fMRI

Recently, the ACR Daily News Scan ran an original article about using MRI as a tool for truth detection.

We are accustomed to using MRI as a screening tool for diagnosing and treating disease — serving as the next-generation polygraph seems a bit far fetched. Or is it?

fMRI truth-testing analyzes blood flow and oxygen changes in the brain, whereas the polygraph focuses on the human stress-response. And, the polygraph is arguably only about 65 percent accurate. One San Diego, Calif.-based firm is currently conducting a large trial set for completion next year, which hopes to achieve upwards of 90 percent accuracy in determining who is telling the truth.

The ACR has not taken a formal position on fMRI for truth detection, nor whether it represents an appropriate use of a diagnostic study for medical-legal purposes. I urge you to read the article in its entirety, as it discusses the medical and legal implications, as well as the opportunities for fMRI use in pre-employment screenings and the criminal justice system.

How do you feel about MRI being used as truth screenings?

Do you think this technology could have real implications on our judicial system?

I look forward to your thoughts.