Media Room

Recent Developments

• »

  CT Scan Protocols

  The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) recently posted new Computed Tomography Radiation Dose Education slides which discuss factors that affect radiation dose in CT studies. They are appropriate for radiologists, radiologic technologists and medical physicists.

• »

  Radiology Organizations Respond to Lancet Article on Pediatric CT

  ACR: Pediatric CT Scans Save Lives When Used Appropriately
  RSNA: Benefits of Childhood CT Scans Outweigh Risks
  AAPM: CT scans are an important diagnostic tool when used appropriately
  Image Gently: A letter to parents regarding medical imaging in children from the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging
  SPR: Radiology Organizations Respond to Lancet Article on Pediatric CT
  ABR-ABRF: Questions about CT Scans in Children? Ask a Radiologist Board Certified by the American
  Board of Radiology for Help

• »

  The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Responds to Recent Study on Dental X-ray Risks

  Read the AAOMR statement regarding the recent study on dental X-rays and meningiomas.
  
  

• »

  Launch of Choosing Wisely® Initiative

  The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation initiative encourages physicians and patients to think and talk about medical tests and procedures that may be unnecessary.
  
  

• »

  Use of Bismuth Shielding for the Purpose of Dose Reduction in CT Scanning

  The AAPM recommends that alternatives to bismuth shielding be carefully considered, and implemented when possible.
  
  

• »

  Informed Decision-Making Video Podcast

  Watch a discussion of recent Radiology articles on the topic of informed consent and radiation by James A. Brink, MD (Image Wisely co-chair) and Richard C. Semelka, MD. (scroll down to January 2012: Brink/Semelka Podcast).
  
  

• »

  Archive

  See an archive of previous items.

Back to Top

News Articles

• »

  Minnesota State Health Department Continues to Promote Medical Imaging Optimization

  Mar. 25, 2013—The MDH, in collaboration with the Minnesota Radiological Society, the North Central Chapter of the AAPM, and the Minnesota Society of Radiologic Technologists, has launched a statewide optimization awareness initiative which provides Minnesota imaging facilities with tools and resources and urges them to pledge to the Image Wisely and Image Gently campaigns.

• »

  Radiation Protection and Dose Monitoring in Medical Imaging: a Journey From Awareness, Through Accountability, Ability and Action...But What is the Destination?

  Download PDF

  Read this editorial from the Journal of Patient Safety by Donald Frush, MD, Charles R Denham, MD, Marilyn J. Goske, MD, James A. Brink, MD, Richard L. Morin, PHD, Thalia T. Mills, PHD, Priscilla F. Butler, MS, Cynthia McCullough,PHD, and Donald L. Miller, MD.

  
  

• »

  Minnesota State Health Department Endorses Image Wisely and Image Gently

  Dec. 3, 2012—The Minnesota Department of Health is the first state health agency in the country to endorse the Image Wisely and Image Gently campaigns aimed at improving the safety of X-rays and other medical imaging technology.

• »

  New Nuclear Medicine Topics Available in Image Wisely

  Nov. 20, 2012—Please visit our new Nuclear Medicine section for topics on dose reduction in general nuclear medicine, PET-CT and nuclear cardiology.

• »

  CT Radiation Dose: Trending in Right Direction

  Better definition of the cancer risk on the basis of patient age and clinical condition at exposure are just two small parts of the overall radiation risk equation, writes E. Stephen Amis, Jr., MD, in an editorial in Radiology.
  
  

• »

  Dental Cone-beam Computed Tomography

  This new web page from the FDA promotes the safe use of cone-beam computed tomography in dentistry, particularly in the pediatric population.

• »

  New Computed Tomography Radiation Dose Education Slides

  Sept. 6, 2012—The AAPM recently posted new Computed Tomography Radiation Dose Education slides in its CT Scan Protocols webpage which discuss factors that affect radiation dose in CT studies. They are appropriate for radiologists, radiologic technologists and medical physicists.

• »

  New Manufacturer and Model-Specific CT Protocols Available

  Nov. 20, 2012—The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has added Routine Chest CT to its set of scan protocols for frequently performed CT examinations.

• »

  Patti Says CT Dose Index Registry Will Improve Radiation Safety For Patients

  In a New York Times letter to the editor, the American College of Radiology's Board of Chancellors Chair John A. Patti wrote that the ACR agrees that a "requirement for [CT] dose reporting should be an integral component of safe medical practice."
  
  

• »

  Experts Say Americans Have Nothing To Fear From Japan's Nuclear Crisis

  Following a second explosion at a Japanese nuclear plant, fears of radiation exposure increased, but government and health officials are attempting to calm consumers.

• »

  Despite Fears, Experts Say Radiation Health Risk in Japan Remains Low

  American College of Radiology President James Thrall, MD of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said "that the chances of a consequential radiation exposure from the Japanese disaster anywhere in the US is 'essentially zero.'"

• »

  Risk for Thyroid Cancer Persists Decades After Childhood Radiation

  People who received radiation for an enlarged thymus when they were babies have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer that lasts throughout their lives.

• »

  CT Scans May Pose Less Cancer Risk Than Thought

  Despite the upward trend in the use of CT scans, researchers determined that there was a "significantly lower risk of developing cancer from CT than previous estimates."

• »

  New Campaign to Curb Radiation From CT Scans

  Experts hope to reduce use of excessive imaging tests through the Image Wisely initiative.

• »

  Standing Up for Radiation Safety

  Overview of the Image Wisely initiative from the ACR Bulletin.

• »

  ACR and RSNA Launch National Image Wisely Campaign

  The Image Wisely campaign takes a two-pronged approach: first, educate and inform radiology professionals; second, educate and enhance awareness of ordering physicians and the public. The first modality being targeted is CT, to be followed by nuclear medicine and radiography/fluoroscopy. (AuntMinnie.com article)

• »

  Image Wisely Focuses on Dose Reduction in Adults

  Download PDF

  From ASRT Scanner magazine
  
  

• »

  More Signs Lung Cancer Screening Could Save Lives

  A new study finds that regular smokers who received three-dimensional X-rays to look for the presence of early tumors had a significantly lower risk of dying over a 10-year period.

• »

  CT Scans Cut Lung Cancer Deaths

  Annual CT scans of heavy smokers reduced their risk of death from lung cancer by 20 percent, a huge government-financed study has found.

Back to Top

Press Releases

• »

  Image Wisely®, SNMMI, SNMMI Techs and ASNC Team to Promote Use of Lower Radiopharmaceutical Doses in Nuclear Medicine Exams

  
  

• »

  Image Wisely™ Initiative to Help Providers Reduce Radiation Dose Adults Receive From Medical Imaging Scans

  
  

• »

  Image Wisely Fact Sheet

  Download PDF

  This information sheet provides background information on radiation exposure from X-ray and CT exams, the number of imaging procedures performed in the U.S., and how to reduce unnecessary imaging scans and optimize radiation dose.

Back to Top