Accuracy of Synthetic 2D Mammography Compared With Conventional 2D Digital Mammography Obtained With 3D Tomosynthesis.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of synthetic 2D imaging generated from 3D tomosynthesis (DBT) with traditional 2D full-field digital mammography (FFDM) by use of the most up-to-date software algorithm in an urban academic radiology practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The records of patients undergoing screening mammography with DBT, synthetic 2D imaging, and FFDM between August 13, 2014, and January 31, 2016, were retrospectively collected. The cohort included all biopsy-proven breast cancers detected with screening mammography during the study period (n = 89) and 100 cases of negative or benign (BI-RADS category 1 or 2) findings after 365 days of follow-up. In separate sessions, three readers blinded to outcome reviewed DBT plus synthetic 2D or DBT plus FFDM screening mammograms and assigned a BI-RADS category and probability of malignancy to each case. The diagnostic performance of each modality was assessed by calculating sensitivity and specificity. Reader performance was assessed by ROC analysis to estimate the AUC of the likelihood of malignancy. RESULTS. No statistically significant difference was found in diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, or negative predictive value) between DBT plus synthetic 2D mammography and DBT plus FFDM. There was no statistically significant difference between the AUC of DBT plus synthetic 2D mammography and the AUC of DBT plus FFDM for any reader. CONCLUSION. DBT plus synthetic 2D mammography performs as well as and not worse than DBT plus FFDM in measures of diagnostic accuracy and may be a viable alternative for decreasing radiation dose without sacrificing diagnostic performance.

Career Trajectory Factors Affecting Gender Diversity in Academic Radiology Department Chairs: Results of a Survey of SCARD Members.

In this survey of academic radiology department chairs, pathways to first chair appointment were similar between men and women in terms of prior professional accomplishments and chair position preparedness. However, women more commonly perceived that their gender negatively affected their career trajectory, and they more frequently reported experiencing overt discrimination and unconscious bias.

Comparison of Utilization of the Family and Medical Leave Act in Radiology Practices Between 2015 and 2016.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to assess utilization of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in radiology practices in 2016 and compare with 2015 utilization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Practice of Radiology Environment Database was used to identify practice leaders, and these leaders were asked to complete the annual American College of Radiology Commission on Human Resources workforce survey. The 2017 survey, which asked about 2016 experiences, again included questions about the number of radiologists in each practice who took FMLA, reasons why, and how absences were covered. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent (477/1811) of practice leaders responded to the survey. Of these respondents, 73% (346/477) answered FMLA questions, and 23% (80/346) of those answered affirmatively that a radiologist in their practice had taken FMLA leave in 2016 (previously 15% in 2015; p = 0.15). The reasons for FMLA leave included taking care of a newborn or adopted child (57%, previously 49%; p = 0.26), personal serious health condition (35%, previously 42%; p = 0.31), caring for an immediate family member (8%, unchanged), and engaging in active military duty (< 1%, unchanged). Although more women (72%) than men (32%) took FMLA leave for the first reason (p < 0.01), more men (63%) than women (18%) took FMLA leave for the second (p < 0.01), and there was no significant difference between women (10%) and men (5%) taking leave to care for an immediate family member (p = 0.18). Most practices (80%) again made no workforce changes to cover absences due to FMLA leave (previously 82%). CONCLUSION: Utilization of FMLA leave in radiology practices in 2016 was similar to that in 2015 and represents the beginning of longitudinal accrual of data on this important topic for both male and female radiologists.

Addressing Needs of Women Radiologists: Opportunities for Practice Leaders to Facilitate Change.

Women are, and have always been, underrepresented in radiology. This gender disparity must be addressed. Women bring a different perspective to the workplace; and their collaborative, empathetic, and compassionate approach to patient care and education is an asset that the radiology community should embrace and leverage. Radiologic organizations should focus on removing barriers to the entry of women physicians into radiology as a specialty and to their career advancement. Organizations should address bias, promote physician well-being, and cultivate a safe and positive work environment. Radiology leaders committed to increasing gender diversity and fostering an inclusive workplace have the opportunity to strengthen their organizations. This article outlines the key steps that practice leaders can take to address the needs of women in radiology: (a) marketing radiology to talented women medical students, (b) addressing recruitment and bias, (c) understanding and accommodating the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the Fair Labor Standards Act for both trainees and radiologists in practice, (d) preventing burnout and promoting well-being, (e) offering flexible work opportunities, (f) providing mentorship and career advancement opportunities, and (g) ensuring equity. ©RSNA, 2018.

Comparison of recommendations for screening mammography using CISNET models.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are several different recommendations for screening mammography from major national health care organizations, including: 1) annual screening at ages 40 to 84 years; 2) screening annually at ages 45 to 54 years, then biennially at ages 55 to 79 years; and 3) biennial screening at ages 50 to 74 years. METHODS: Mean values of six Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) models were used to compare these three screening mammography recommendations in terms of benefits and risks. RESULTS: Mean mortality reduction was greatest with the recommendation of annual screening at ages 40 to 84 years (39.6%), compared with the hybrid recommendation of screening annually at ages 45 to 54 years, then biennially at ages 55 to 79 years (30.8%), and the recommendation of biennial screening at ages 50 to 74 years (23.2%). For a single-year cohort of US women aged 40 years, assuming 100% compliance, more breast cancers deaths would be averted over their lifetime with annual screening starting at age 40 (29,369) than with the hybrid recommendation (22,829) or biennial screening ages 50-74 (17,153 based on 2009 CISNET estimates, 15,599 based on 2016 CISNET estimates). To achieve the greatest mortality benefit, this single-year cohort of women would have the greatest total number of screening mammograms, benign recalls, and benign biopsies performed over the course of screening by following annual screening starting at age 40 years (90.2 million, 6.8 million, and 481,269, respectively) than by following the hybrid recommendation (49.0 million, 4.1 million, and 286,288, respectively) or biennial screening at ages 50 to 74 years (27.3 million, 2.3 million, and 162,885, respectively). CONCLUSION: CISNET models demonstrate that the greatest mortality reduction is achieved with annual screening of women starting at age 40 years. Cancer 2017;123:3673-3680. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Screening Mammography for Women in Their 40s: The Potential Impact of the American Cancer Society and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review screening mammograms obtained in one practice with the primary endpoint of determining the rate of detection of breast cancer and associated prognostic features in women 40-44 and 45-49 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retrospective cohort study included women in their 40s with breast cancer detected at screening from June 2014 through May 2016. The focus was on cancer detection rate, pathologic findings, and risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 32,762 screens were performed, and 808 biopsies were recommended. These biopsies yielded 224 breast cancers (cancer detection rate, 6.84 per 1000 screens). Women 40-49 years old had 18.8% of cancers detected; 50-59 years, 21.8%; 60-69 years, 32.6%; and 70-79 years, 21.4%. Among the 40- to 49-year-old women, women 40-44 years old underwent 5481 (16.7%) screens, had 132 biopsies recommended, and had 20 breast cancers detected (cancer detection rate, 3.6/1000). Women 45-49 years old underwent 5319 (16.2%) screens, had 108 biopsies recommended, and had 22 breast cancers detected (cancer detection rate, 4.1/1000). Thus, women 40-44 years old had 8.9% and women 45-49 years old had 9.8% of all screen-detected breast cancers. Of these only a small percentage of women with detected cancers had a first-degree relative with breast cancer (40-44 years, 15%; 45-49 years, 32%) or a BRCA mutation (40-44 years, 5%; 45-49 years, 5%), and over 60% of the cancers were invasive. CONCLUSION: Women 40-49 years old had 18.8% of all screen-detected breast cancers. The two cohorts (40-44 and 45-49 years old) had similar incidences of screen-detected breast cancer (8.9%, 9.8%) and cancer detection rates within performance benchmark standards, supporting a similar recommendation for both cohorts and the American College of Radiology recommendation of annual screening mammography starting at age 40.

Surveying Academic Radiology Department Chairs Regarding New and Effective Strategies for Medical Student Recruitment.

OBJECTIVE: The number of 4th-year medical student applications to the field of diagnostic radiology has decreased from 2009 to 2015. The purpose of this study was to learn how radiology departments are recruiting medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous online survey hyperlink was distributed to the members of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments regarding both innovative and proven recruitment strategies. The results were synthesized with a recently published survey of medical students about factors influencing them to go into radiology. RESULTS: Forty of 126 radiology departments completed the survey. Most felt that radiology exposure and curricula require alteration given recent downward trends in medical student applications. A majority (79%) had changed their outreach to medical students in response to these trends. The responding department chairs felt that interactive learning while on rotation was the most important strategy for recruitment. The presence of a diversity program, dedicated medical school educator, or rotating daily assignment for students did not affect the likelihood of filling residency spots in the main match. CONCLUSION: Many radiology departments are changing their outreach to medical students to improve recruitment. Effective strategies to focus on include early active outreach by involving students in the radiology department, thereby framing radiologists as clinicians.

Review of Leiomyoma Variants.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the clinical, imaging, and pathologic features of leiomyoma variants. CONCLUSION: Fortunately, most of these variants are rare and have a benign natural history, given currently there are no significant series to establish definitive clinical or imaging findings that can reliably distinguish among them. Although there are some suggestive features, the diagnosis of a leiomyoma variant is usually made postoperatively at pathologic examination.

Annual screening mammography for breast cancer in women 75 years old or older: to screen or not to screen.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to review screening mammography examinations at our institution from 2007 through 2013 with the primary endpoint of determining the incidence of breast cancer and the associated histologic and prognostic features in women 75 years old or older. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who presented for screening mammography who ultimately received a BI-RADS assessment of category 4 or 5 for a suspicious abnormality were followed retrospectively through completion of care and were analyzed with respect to pathology results, treatment, and family history. RESULTS: From 2007 through 2013, 68,694 screening mammography examinations were performed. Of these screening examinations, 4424 (6.4%) were performed of patients 75 years old or older. On the basis of these examinations, 64 biopsies were recommended. Sixty biopsies were performed, and these biopsies detected 26 breast cancers. These results correspond to a breast cancer detection rate of 5.9 per 1000 screening examinations and a positive predictive value 2 (PPV2), defined as the probability of breast cancer after a BI-RADS assessment category of 4 (suspicious abnormality) or 5 (highly suggestive of malignancy), of 40.6%. Approximately 85% (22/26) of the screening-detected cancers in the women in this age group were invasive. For those with known genetic status (18 of 26), 33% had a first-degree relative with breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Although women 75 years or older accounted for less than 10% of the total screening population during the study time period, the breast cancer detection rate in this cohort was 5.9 per 1000 screening examinations, which is compatible with the American College of Radiology's recommendations, and most of these breast cancers were invasive. These results are relevant when considering appropriate age ranges for annual screening mammography.

Chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography: not necessarily a poor prognostic indicator for pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the live birth rate of pregnancies with a diagnosis of a chorionic bump, a convex bulge from the choriodecidual surface into the first-trimester gestational sac. METHODS: Pregnant patients at least 18 years old with the finding of a chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography were included in this prospective observational study. The independent variables were chorionic bump size and number and presence or absence of a history of infertility or coagulation disorder. The primary end point was pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: During the 4-year study period, 52 pregnancies had a diagnosis of a chorionic bump. Overall, 34 resulted in live births, corresponding to an absolute live birth rate of 65%, and 18 were nonviable. Forty-one chorionic bump pregnancies were otherwise normal (ie, pregnancies in which a gestational sac, yolk sac, and embryo with heartbeat were seen at some point), and in this subset, the live birth rate was 83% (34 of 41). All pregnancies with more than 1 chorionic bump (4) ended in demise (100%). The average maximum dimension of the chorionic bump was 1.3 cm (range, 0.5-3.8 cm); however there was not a statistically significant correlation between chorionic bump size and pregnancy outcome (P = .5866; odds ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-5.01). Nine patients (17%) had a history of infertility treatment, and 4 (8%) had a history of coagulation disorder. Only 1 chorionic bump pregnancy was associated with a birth defect. CONCLUSIONS: The live birth rate in our chorionic bump cohort was 65% overall and even higher (83%) if the pregnancy was otherwise normal. The clinical implication is that a chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography is not necessarily associated with a guarded prognosis.

Chorionic bump in pregnant patients and associated live birth rate: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: A chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography has been considered a risk factor for nonviability in pregnant patients with this rare finding, although the strength of this association has recently been questioned. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the association between a chorionic bump and nonviability. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed. We included all studies except case reports. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. RESULTS: After screening 5 studies, 2 studies with a total of 67 patients met inclusion criteria. These were combined with a study (n = 52) from our institution. Overall, the live birth rate was 62% (74 of 119). Fifty-one chorionic bump pregnancies were otherwise normal (ie, pregnancies in which a gestational sac, a yolk sac, and an embryo with a heartbeat was seen at some point), and in this subset, the live birth rate was 83% (42 of 51). There was no significant relationship found between vaginal bleeding and live birth (P = .857); there was no significant difference in bump volume between live birth and no live birth (P = .198); and for the subset analysis of pooled odds ratios for the relationship between live birth and history of infertility, there was no significant relationship found (P = .186). CONCLUSIONS: A chorionic bump remains a risk factor for nonviability in pregnancy; however, if the pregnancy is otherwise normal, then most result in live birth.

The ABCs of accessory breast tissue: basic information every radiologist should know.

OBJECTIVE: Accessory breast tissue, residual breast tissue persisting from embryologic development, is found in up to 6% of the population, most commonly in the axilla along the "milk line." CONCLUSION: Radiologists should be able to recognize the imaging appearance of this normal variant on multiple modalities, while at the same time understanding that the same spectrum of pathologic processes that occur in normal breast tissue can occur in accessory breast tissue as well.

Utilizing two-dimensional ultrasound to develop normative curves for estimated placental volume.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to use two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound (US) during routine prenatal surveillance to develop normative estimated placental volume (EPV) growth curves. STUDY DESIGN: Patients ≥ 18 years old with singleton pregnancies were prospectively followed from 11 weeks gestational age (GA) until delivery. At routine US visits, placental width, height, and thickness were measured and EPV calculated using a validated mathematical model. RESULTS: In this study, 423 patients were scanned between 9.7 and 39.3 weeks GA to generate a total of 627 EPV calculations. Readings were clustered at 12 and 20 weeks, times of routine scanning. The mean EPV was 73 ± 47 cc at 12.5 ± 1.5 weeks (n = 444) and 276 ± 106 cc at 20 ± 2 weeks (n = 151). The data best fit a parabolic function as follows: EPV = (0.384GA - 0.00366GA(2))(3). Tenth and 90th percentile lines were generated with ± 1.28 SE offset. EPV readings below the 10th or above the 90th percentiles tended to be associated with either small or large newborns, respectively. CONCLUSION: Routine 2D US created EPV growth curves, which may be useful for stratifying patients into prenatal risk groups.

Screening mammography for women in their 40s: a retrospective study of the potential impact of the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force's 2009 breast cancer screening recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to review screening mammography examinations performed at our institution from 2007 through 2010 with the primary endpoint of determining the incidence of breast cancer and associated histologic and prognostic features in women in their 40s. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who presented for screening mammography who ultimately (i.e., after additional imaging, including diagnostic mammographic views and ultrasound) received a BI-RADS assessment of a category 4 or 5 for a suspicious abnormality were followed retrospectively through completion of care and were analyzed with respect to pathology results after biopsy, treatment, and family history. RESULTS: During the study period, 43,351 screening mammography examinations were performed; 1227 biopsies were recommended on the basis of those studies and yielded 205 breast cancers (cancer detection rate of 4.7 per 1000 screening examinations). These screening examinations included 14,528 (33.5%) screening examinations of patients in their 40s; 413 biopsies were recommended and yielded 39 breast cancers (39/205 = 19%) (cancer detection rate of 2.7 per 1000 screening examinations). More than 50% (21/39) of the cancers in women in their 40s were invasive. Only 8% (3/39) of the women in their 40s with screening-detected breast cancer had a first-degree relative with breast cancer. CONCLUSION: From 2007 through 2010, patients in their 40s accounted for one third of the population undergoing screening mammography and for nearly 20% of the screening-detected breast cancers--more than half of which were invasive. This information should be a useful contribution to counseling women in this age group when discussing whether or not to pursue regular screening mammography.

Brief communication: RSNA female gold medal recipients: life, legacy, and intergenerational mentorship.

In recent years, the number of RSNA female gold medal recipients has increased. Also recently, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in radiology beyond gender has received greater attention. The ACR Pipeline Initiative for the Enrichment of Radiology (PIER) program "began through the Commission for Women and Diversity in hopes of giving underrepresented minorities (URMs) and women an opportunity to explore the radiology specialty and engage in research."1 Consistent with this mission and the mission of Clinical Imaging to "advance knowledge and positively impact patient care and the profession of radiology,"2 the journal is pleased to announce a forthcoming initiative in which PIER program medical students will be paired with senior faculty members and given the opportunity to write a first-authorship publication about the legacies of RSNA Female Gold Medal Recipients. With this form of intergenerational mentorship, scholars will gain a new perspective and guidance as they navigate their early career.

American College of Radiology Paid Family/Medical Leave Policy: A Call to Action for the House of Medicine.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) passed a historic paid family/medical leave (PFML) resolution at its April 2022 meeting, resolving that "diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, medical physics, and nuclear medicine practices, departments and training programs strive to provide 12 weeks of paid family/medical leave in a 12-month period for its attending physicians, medical physicists, and members in training as needed." The purpose of this article is to share this policy beyond radiology so that it may serve as a call to action for other medical specialties. Such a PFML policy (1) supports physician well-being, which in turn supports patient care; (2) is widely needed across American medical specialties; and (3) should not take nearly a decade to achieve, as it did in radiology, especially given increasing physician burnout and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by information on the step-by-step approach used to achieve radiology-specific leave policies and considering current and normative policies at the national level, this article concludes by reviewing specific strategies that could be applied toward achieving a 12-week PFML policy for all medical specialties.