ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Suspected Pulmonary Embolism: 2022 Update

Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a common and important clinical condition that cannot be accurately diagnosed on the basis of signs, symptoms, and history alone. The diagnosis of PE has been facilitated by technical advancements and multidetector CT pulmonary angiography, which is the major diagnostic modality currently used. Ventilation and perfusion scans remain largely accurate and useful in certain settings. MR angiography can be useful in some clinical scenarios and lower-extremity ultrasound can substitute by demonstrating deep vein thrombosis; however, if negative, further studies to exclude PE are indicated. In all cases, correlation with the clinical status, particularly with risk factors, improves not only the accuracy of diagnostic imaging but also overall utilization. Other diagnostic tests have limited roles. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer-reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances in which peer-reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Pediatric Panoramic Radiography: Techniques, Artifacts, and Interpretation

Panoramic radiography, particularly in the pediatric population, is rarely addressed in the radiology literature. The authors provide an in-depth discussion of how these images are acquired, what artifacts can be visualized, and how to mitigate these artifacts. Dental anatomy, as well as relevant osseous and soft-tissue anatomy visible on a panoramic image, are reviewed. The appearance of the normal pediatric panoramic radiograph, with an emphasis on the dental follicle, is discussed, as well as how to differentiate this normal structure from underlying pathologic conditions. The most commonly encountered pathologic conditions of carious disease and trauma are emphasized. A systematic approach to diagnosing mass lesions and their appropriate work-up, including multimodality imaging examples of relevant pathologic conditions, is also provided. Finally, congenital anomalies, including some of the more commonly encountered dysplasias, are reviewed. The authors provide a concise review of the relevant information needed to confidently interpret a pediatric panoramic radiograph. The online slide presentation from the RSNA Annual Meeting is available for this article. ^©RSNA, 2021.

What's missing? An analysis of pediatric radiology fellowship website utility and recruitment potential

BACKGROUND

Pediatric radiology fellowship web pages convey practical information and provide an opportunity to impress upon visitors the mission and principles that are core to the program.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of the study was to assess pediatric radiology fellowship program websites and identify potential areas for improvement because applications and enrollment have been steadily declining since 2013.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We evaluated 41 websites of pediatric radiology fellowship programs for 17 criteria. We classified programs by region, size and separate web page status. We compared the met criteria using the Kruskal-Wallis and two-sided t-test, accounting for any unequal variances and distributions.

RESULTS

Of the websites evaluated, the average content score was 42.3%, meeting only 7.2±2.9 of the 17 criteria. Programs in the Northeast were associated with higher online comprehensiveness (P=0.034), as were programs with a separate website for pediatric radiology (P<0.001). We also noted a higher number of positions offered per year than there were fellows enrolled (2.73±2.3 versus 1.39±2.3; P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The future of diverse pediatric radiology fellowship training opportunities is increasingly influenced by the availability and transparency of fellowship program and training attributes online. With an average content score of 42.3% across the examined fellowship websites, it is evident that there is room for improvement in the information provided by the pediatric radiology fellowship programs, particularly with respect to providing alumni information and job dispositions, listing current fellows whom applicants may contact regarding the program, and including realistic call and other work expectations of fellows.