News | Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | July 11, 2023

Patients discharged from the emergency department after CT with CTA alone could have benefitted from an alternative or additional MRI evaluation, including using a specialized abbreviated protocol for the modality

Flow of patient selection for analysis

Flow of patient selection for analysis. Image courtesy of AJR


July 11, 2023 — According to an accepted manuscript published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) after CT with CTA alone could have benefitted from an alternative or additional MRI evaluation, including using a specialized abbreviated protocol for the modality.

Compared with those patients discharged after CT with CTA only, “the use of MRI in select patients presenting to the ED with dizziness was associated with greater frequency of critical neuroimaging results, greater use of echocardiography, and greater frequency of a change in secondary stroke prevention medications,” concluded first author Long H. Tu, MD, from the department of radiology and biomedical imaging at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT.

This AJR accepted manuscript by Tu et al. included 1,917 patients (776 men and 1,141 women; mean age, 59.5 years) presenting to the ED with dizziness from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021. The initial propensity score matching analysis incorporated demographic characteristics, medical history, systems review, physical examination findings, as well as clinical symptoms to construct matched patients discharged from the ED after undergoing head CT with head and neck CTA alone and patients who underwent brain MRI—with or without CT and CTA. Upon comparing those outcomes, a secondary assessment matched patients discharged after CT with CTA alone and patients who underwent specialized abbreviated MRI (i.e., multiplanar high-resolution DWI with ≤3 mm slice thickness) for increased sensitivity for posterior circulation stroke.

Ultimately, patients with dizziness undergoing MRI, versus CT with CTA alone, showed greater frequency of change in secondary stroke prevention medication (9.6% vs. 3.2%) and subsequent echocardiography (6.4% vs. 1.0%). Again, versus CT with CTA alone, Tu and colleagues’ specialized abbreviated MRI protocol was also associated with lower frequency of 90-day ED readmissions (12.0% vs. 28.0%).

“When available,” the authors of this AJR accepted manuscript acknowledged, “use of MRI may motivate clinically impactful management changes in patients presenting with dizziness.”

For more information: www.arrs.org

 


Related Content

News | Computed Tomography (CT)

SPONSORED CONTENT — Fujifilm’s latest CT technology brings exceptional image quality to a compact and user- and patient ...

Time August 06, 2024
arrow
News | Radiology Business

July 31, 2024 — The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) announced the three Registered Technologists (R ...

Time July 31, 2024
arrow
News | PET-CT

July 31, 2024 — In a head-to-head comparison with FDG PET/CT, FDG PET/MRI demonstrated comparable or superior diagnostic ...

Time July 31, 2024
arrow
Feature | Computed Tomography (CT) | By Melinda Taschetta-Millane

In the ever-evolving landscape of medical imaging, computed tomography (CT) stands out as a cornerstone technology ...

Time July 30, 2024
arrow
Videos | Radiology Business

Find actionable insights to achieve sustainability and savings in radiology in this newest of ITN’s “One on One” video ...

Time July 30, 2024
arrow
Feature | Radiology Business | By Christine Book

Across the healthcare industry, and, notably, throughout the radiology community in just the past few years, the focus ...

Time July 26, 2024
arrow
Feature | Mobile C-Arms | By Melinda Taschetta-Millane

Mobile C-arms continue to revolutionize medical imaging, offering versatility, mobility and real-time visualization ...

Time July 26, 2024
arrow
News | Radiology Business

July 25, 2024 — Immunis, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech developing groundbreaking secretome therapeutics for age and ...

Time July 25, 2024
arrow
News | RSNA

July 23, 2024 — Professional registration is open for RSNA 2024, the world’s largest radiology forum. This year’s theme ...

Time July 23, 2024
arrow
News | Artificial Intelligence

July 23, 2024 — Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that an artificial intelligence (AI) model ...

Time July 23, 2024
arrow
Subscribe Now