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3D Mammography Reading: A Fast Learning Curve R A D I O L O G I S T S T R A N S I T I O N E D F R O M reading 2D mammograms to reading 3D mammograms rapidly and with enhanced accuracy, according to a study in Radiology. Clinicians making the transition to 3D mammography, or digital breast tomosynthesis, needed to recall fewer patients for further testing than they did after reading 2D mammograms. "We found that patients with or without dense breasts benefit from lower recall rates with 3D mammography, and there is no trade-off with cancer detec- tion," Diana Miglioretti, Dean's Professor of Biostatistics in the University of California, Davis Department of Public Health Sciences, says in a news release. Additionally, the radiologists required little startup time when moving from standard to 3D mammograms. Data from more than 100 radiologists at facilities in five states were used in the study. n — Steve Barrett Combination Imaging May Aid Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia U S I N G B O T H F U N C T I O N A L and structural imaging could improve ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT), research in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine found. Shorter procedural times and enhanced VT suppression are potential benefits of adding iodine-123 metaiodobenzyl- guanidine (123I-MIBG) SPECT imaging to cardiac MRI, the researchers concluded. Cardiac MRI and 123I-MIBG imaging, along with high- resolution bipolar voltage mapping, were conducted on patients to assess three VT-related adaptations: abnormal innervation, tissue scarring and low-voltage area. All patients had these adaptations. However, individual modalities did not detect all the adaptations found by combined modalities. "The study highlights the importance of close collaboration among the nuclear medicine, radiology and electrophysiol- ogy departments," Timm Dickfeld, MD, PhD, FACC, FHRS, Director of Electrophysiology Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, states in a news release about the findings. n — Steve Barrett Earlier Cancer Detection Through Enhanced Imaging A N I M A G I N G S Y S T E M developed by scientists at MIT may allow for detection of extremely small tumors, facilitating earlier treatment. The system, named DOLPHIN, tracked a tiny fluorescent probe swal- lowed by a mouse, according to a study in Scientific Reports. The system uses near-infrared light. Unlike optical imaging techniques that cannot obtain images in tissue beyond roughly 3 cen- timeters deep, DOLPHIN's signal is detectable at up to 8 centimeters. Moreover, while scans such as MRI provide whole-body imaging, identification of tumors less than 1 centimeter in size is not reliable with those modalities. The 0.1-millimeter probe that DOLPHIN uses is made of fluorescent nanoparticles and can be altered to label cancer cells fluorescently. DOLPHIN could permit noninvasive tracking of a tumor comprising only a few hundred cells, according to the scientists. n — Steve Barrett M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 019 2 5 SPECIAL CLINICAL SECTION: RADIOLOGY