A recent JAMA Pediatrics paper looked at fetal ultrasonography and whether it causes autism. Although apparently worrisome, a scientific analysis reveals that the paper is actually quite reassuring. We review the paper and the controversy here. https://youtu.be/rjf8ji1zr0Q You can read the original open-access JAMA Pediatric article by clicking on the link. – Akshay Baheti, …
Continue reading Is there a link between fetal ultrasonography and autism?
This post is like a prologue, merely telling only how I got the chance to go to Canada for a fellowship, while the main story is yet to begin (my Fellowship begins from Aug 2019). The idea to apply to Canada for a fellowship stemmed from two things. First, and most obviously, the desire to …
Continue reading Road to Canada: How to apply for a Canadian Fellowship
The debate on free-text vs structured reports is probably never ending, but the voice of our customer, the referring physician, sometimes gets lost in the din. We discuss two recent studies which throw light on this issue. https://youtu.be/_fwPAnGFBy0 You can read the AJR and JACR articles discussed by clicking the respective links. – Akshay Baheti, …
Continue reading Free-text vs structured reporting: What does the referring physician want?
The European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR) is a qualification awarded by the European Board of Radiology (EBR), and is the new popular kid on the block for foreign certification exams given by Indian radiologists. It is intended to be an additional qualification of excellence, and a tool to set a benchmark to standardize radiology across …
CHARACTERIZATION OF RENAL MASSES Many renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are detected incidentally on imaging. Certain definite benign lesions on CT for which additional imaging is not necessary: On contrast CT: Homogeneous lesions with density less than 20 HU are benign On non-contrast CT: Homogeneous lesions with density less than 20 HU, or lesions with density …
Continue reading Approach to renal lesions: Dr Veena Iyer’s talk
A common question asked by a referring physician for a patient of suspected nephrolithiasis is whether to do an ultrasound first or a CT? We review an NEJM paper which answers this critical question. https://youtu.be/phplenxe5tY You can read the open-access article here. – Akshay Baheti, Tata Memorial Hospital PS : If the embedded video is …
Continue reading Patient with suspected kidney stone: Should we do ultrasound first or CT?
Close to the International Women’s Day, I started writing this blog on the enigma that is India’s PCPNDT act. Established as a supposedly powerful tool to curb female foeticide in the country, it has developed into one of the major medico-legal issues facing Indian radiologists who have to face miles of red tape for regular …
Continue reading PCPNDT Simplified: A Guide for Radiology Residents
Artificial intelligence is the next big thing in radiology, as well as in many other branches of medicine. Whether it will assist us or replace us in the future remains a matter of intense debate, but how many radiologists really understand basics of how AI actually works and how accurate can it get? Understand the …
Continue reading Artificial Intelligence in Radiology: The how and the why of it
The question mark (or ‘query’ as we call it) is commonly used in medical lingo and formal medical notes; we constantly use it to denote a possible diagnosis. For example, medicine residents may write in their notes ‘History of fever, cough, and weight loss for 2 months; ?Kochs’, and then would present the patient to …
The last decade or two have witnessed a plethora of newer chemotherapy drugs being approved for treating cancer, most of which have been approved based on clinical trials using the RECIST 1.1 (or the older RECIST) criteria to demonstrate efficacy of treatment and prolongation of disease-free survival. However, how accurate are the RECIST 1.1 criteria …
Continue reading How accurate is RECIST 1.1 for assessing tumor response?
Cafe Roentgen 