Marcia C. Javitt

ACR Appropriateness Criteria Staging and Follow-up of Ovarian Cancer

In the management of epithelial ovarian cancers, imaging is used for cancer detection and staging, both before and after initial treatment. The decision of whether to pursue initial cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer depends in part on accurate staging. Contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen and pelvis (and chest where indicated) is the current imaging modality of choice for the initial staging evaluation of ovarian cancer. Fluorine-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose PET/CT and MRI may be appropriate for problem-solving purposes, particularly when lesions are present on CT but considered indeterminate. In patients who achieve remission, clinical suspicion for relapse after treatment prompts imaging evaluation for recurrence. Contrast-enhanced CT is the modality of choice to assess the extent of recurrent disease, and fluorine-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose PET/CT is also usually appropriate, as small metastatic foci may be identified. If imaging or clinical examination confirms a recurrence, the extent of disease and timing of disease recurrence then determines the choice of treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria on acute pelvic pain in the reproductive age group.

Premenopausal women who present with acute pelvic pain frequently pose a diagnostic dilemma, exhibiting nonspecific signs and symptoms, the most common being nausea, vomiting, and leukocytosis. Diagnostic considerations encompass multiple organ systems, including obstetric, gynecologic, urologic, gastrointestinal, and vascular etiologies. The selection of imaging modality is determined by the clinically suspected differential diagnosis. Thus, a careful evaluation of such a patient should be performed and diagnostic considerations narrowed before a modality is chosen. Transvaginal and transabdominal pelvic sonography is the modality of choice when an obstetric or gynecologic abnormality is suspected, and computed tomography is more useful when gastrointestinal or genitourinary pathology is more likely. Magnetic resonance imaging, when available in the acute setting, is favored over computed tomography for assessing pregnant patients for nongynecologic etiologies because of the lack of ionizing radiation.

Radiation Risks from Exposure to Chest Computed Tomography

Since 1972, when the first clinical computed tomography (CT) scanner was installed, amazing advances in CT technology have spurned its rapid growth and increasing utilization. Although CT scans are often performed for clinically valid indications that enable proper medical decision-making, the introduction of some protocols has outpaced the scientific data supporting their appropriateness. Considering the growing volume of CT scans performed and the appurtenant risks of radiation exposure, any exposure of patients to radiation for unnecessary or undocumented indications is worrisome. In this paper, the radiation risks associated with chest CT in 3 specific scenarios are discussed: (1) lung cancer screening, for which scientific data demonstrating a reduction in lung cancer mortality is lacking; (2) CT coronary artery angiography, for which the peer reviewed scientific literature is in evolution as its clinical utility is defined and expanded; and (3) CT pulmonary angiography, which is now widely utilized as the imaging modality of choice in the diagnosis of pulmonary emboli. The risks and benefits of these studies will be reviewed in light of the population radiation burden and the appropriateness of each examination.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Pretreatment Planning of Invasive Cancer of the Cervix

The prognosis of cervical cancer is linked to lymph node involvement, and this is predicted clinically and pathologically by the stage of the disease, as well as the volume and grade of the tumor. Staging of cervical cancer based on International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging uses physical examination, cystoscopy, proctoscopy, intravenous urography, and barium enema. It does not include CT or MRI. Evaluation of the parametrium is limited in FIGO staging, and lymph node metastasis, an important prognostic factor, is not included in FIGO staging. The most important role for imaging is to distinguish stages Ia, Ib, and IIa disease treated with surgery from advanced disease treated with radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. This article reviews the current role of imaging in pretreatment planning of invasive cervical cancer. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances in which evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

Masters of Radiology Panel Discussion: Women in Radiology— How Can We Encourage More Women to Join the Field and Become Leaders?

145 outside my domain of expertise, and I will keep my comments brief to hear more from our women on the panel. The sex imbalance in radiology concerns me on a number of levels but perhaps most because of its implications that, as a specialty, we may not be equally welcoming to all. In a time when women are at least equally represented in other medical specialties, it is not due to a sex imbalance in medical students. I do not know exactly what the reasons are, but it is worth assessing women medical students’ perceptions of the nature of the work, career opportunities, role models, work-life balance, etc., and then working to improve where we can. Norbash: To have increasing numbers of women join radiology, it would be helpful to create an atmosphere where women fundamentally are appreciated and valued, given parity where leadership and research positions are concerned, and given the autonomy and resources to create appropriate mentoring and support services. Simultaneously, there will need to be attention paid to resources and need to establish the appropriate environment to secure work-life balance. Specific actions should include formulating match lists to ultimately yield 50% of matched women in each department, formulating policies to ease women residents’ desire to start a family, and balancing faculty to promote and celebrate the advancement of women radiologists to positions of responsibility and leadership. Beauchamp: We also should keep in mind that diversity is an opportunity not an obligation. Extensive research shows that as you increase the diversity of your groups, productivity, creativity, innovation, and problem solving also increase. Also relative to this conversation is the case of diversity in terms of getting more women in medicine. We are missing an opportunity, given the Masters of Radiology Panel Discussion: Women in Radiology— How Can We Encourage More Women to Join the Field and Become Leaders?

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® pretreatment evaluation and follow-up of endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic and the fourth most common malignancy in women in the United States. Cross-sectional imaging plays a vital role in pretreatment assessment of endometrial cancers and should be viewed as a complementary tool for surgical evaluation and planning of these patients. Although transvaginal US remains the preferred examination for the screening purposes, MRI has emerged as the modality of choice for the staging of endometrial cancer and imaging assessment of recurrence or treatment response. A combination of dynamic contrast-enhanced and diffusion weighted MRI provides the highest accuracy for the staging. Both CT and MRI perform equivalently for assessing nodal involvement or distant metastasis. PET-CT is more appropriate for assessing lymphadenopathy in high-grade FDG-avid tumors or for clinically suspected recurrence after treatment. An appropriate use and guidelines of imaging techniques in diagnosis, staging, and detection of endometrial cancer and treatment of recurrent disease are reviewed.The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every two years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® clinically suspected adnexal mass.

Adnexal masses are a common problem clinically and imaging-wise, and transvaginal US (TVUS) is the first-line imaging modality for assessing them in the vast majority of patients. The findings of US, however, should be correlated with the history and laboratory tests, as well as any patient symptoms. Simple cysts are uniformly benign, and most warrant no further interrogation or treatment. Complex cysts carry more significant implications, and usually engender serial ultrasound(s), with a minority of cases warranting a pelvic MRI.Morphological analysis of adnexal masses with gray-scale US can help narrow the differential diagnosis. Spectral Doppler analysis has not proven useful in most well-performed studies. However, the use of color Doppler sonography adds significant contributions to differentiating between benign and malignant masses and is recommended in all cases of complex masses. Malignant masses generally demonstrate neovascularity, with abnormal branching vessel morphology. Optimal sonographic evaluation is achieved by using a combination of gray-scale morphologic assessment and color or power Doppler imaging to detect flow within any solid areas.The ACR Appropriateness Criteria® are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every two years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Multiple gestations.

Multiple gestations are high-risk compared with singleton pregnancies. Prematurity and intrauterine growth restrictions are the major sources of morbidity and mortality common to all twin gestations. Monochorionic twins are at a higher risk for twin-twin transfusion, fetal growth restriction, congenital anomalies, vasa previa, velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord and fetal death. Therefore, determination of multiple gestation, amnionicity and chorionicity in the first trimester is important. Follow up examinations to evaluate fetal well-being include assessment of fetal growth and amniotic fluid volume, umbilical artery Doppler, nonstress test and biophysical profile. To date, there is a paucity of literature regarding imaging schedules for follow-up. At the very least, antepartum testing in multiple gestations is recommended in all situations in which surveillance would ordinarily be performed in a singleton pregnancy.The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed biennially by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Acute Pelvic Pain in the Reproductive Age Group.

Acute pelvic pain in premenopausal women frequently poses a diagnostic dilemma. These patients may exhibit nonspecific signs and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and leukocytosis. The cause of pelvic pain includes a myriad of diagnostic possibilities such as obstetric, gynecologic, urologic, gastrointestinal, and vascular etiologies. The choice of the imaging modality is usually determined by a suspected clinical differential diagnosis. Thus the patient should undergo careful evaluation and the suspected differential diagnosis should be narrowed before an optimal imaging modality is chosen. Transvaginal and transabdominal pelvic sonography is the modality of choice, to assess for pelvic pain, when an obstetric or gynecologic etiology is suspected and computed tomography is often more useful when gastrointestinal or genitourinary pathology is thought to be more likely. Magnetic resonance imaging, when available in the acute setting, is favored over computed tomography for assessing pregnant patients for nongynecologic etiologies owing to its lack of ionizing radiation.The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria® are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every three years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR appropriateness Criteria® first trimester bleeding.

Vaginal bleeding is not uncommon in the first trimester of pregnancy. Ultrasound is the foremost modality for evaluating normal development of the gestational sac and embryo and for discriminating the causes of bleeding. While correlation with quantitative βHCG and clinical presentation is essential, sonographic criteria permit diagnosis of failed pregnancies, ectopic pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease and spontaneous abortion. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria guidelines have been updated to incorporate recent data. A failed pregnancy may be diagnosed when there is absence of cardiac activity in an embryo exceeding 7 mm in crown rump length or absence of an embryo when the mean sac diameter exceeds 25 mm. In a stable patient with no intrauterine pregnancy and normal adnexae, close monitoring is advised. The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy should be based on positive findings rather than on the absence of an intrauterine sac above a threshold level of βHCG. Following abortion, ultrasound can discriminate retained products of conception from clot and arteriovenous fistulae. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria® are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every two years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.