Dear AuntMinnie member,
Abdominal aortic calcification (AAA) is recognized as an independent cardiovascular risk marker in patients with chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis. A group in Palestine hypothesized that lumbar spine x-rays can be used to measure AAA severity and help stratify patients, with promising results. Find out the details here.
In other news involving spine x-rays, we reported on work by a group at the University of Pennsylvania who found that large language models can detect scoliosis on spine radiographs with accuracy up to 94%.
Indeed, AI research in digital x-ray continues to dominate the headlines. Here are a few stories we’ve published since our last newsletter:
-
According to a study in Radiology, in a head-to-head comparison, seven commercial AI devices demonstrated substantial variability in their ability to detect lung cancer on chest x-rays.
-
An AI tool called OccuNet developed by researchers in Wenzhou, China, bested radiologists and emergency medicine physicians in finding fractures on pelvic or hip x-rays.
-
In another Radiology study, a commercially available AI device for detecting appendicular fractures showed consistent performance across three European hospitals and improved clinician sensitivity.
-
A team at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia found that a vendor-agnostic AI system reduced median DEXA report turnaround time from 2.40 hours to 0.96 hours.
We also posted a few stories on research involving dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In one, a Spanish team reported that playing soccer throughout a competitive season significantly strengthens bones and improves body composition in young players; in another, in older men susceptible to, or with, osteopenia, consuming up to 10 prunes a day resulted in little improvement in bone health over a year; and, a team at the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute in Reston, VA, found that DEXA screening for osteoporosis has declined by 35% among Medicare beneficiaries over nearly two decades.
Meanwhile, researchers at Kyushu University are continuing to develop dynamic chest radiography, with a recent study suggesting the modality can evaluate the severity of pulmonary valve regurgitation in patients who have undergone surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).
Finally, the first x-rays taken of humans in space were assessed, with findings demonstrating that their diagnostic quality is equivalent to preflight images, according to a team led by Mayo Clinic researchers in Rochester, MN.
For more x-ray news, be sure to check in regularly with our Digital X-Ray content area. And as always, if you have x-ray topics you’d like us to consider, please contact me.
Will Morton
Associate Editor
AuntMinnie.com