MRI most cost-effective way to evaluate ED patients with dizziness

MRI is the most cost-effective imaging modality for evaluating patients presenting to the emergency department with dizziness when downstream costs are considered, suggests research published November 8 in the American Journal of Radiology.The results could improve patient care by catching underlying strokes, wrote a team led by Long Tu, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT."Dizziness is the presentation of stroke that is most closely tied to a missed diagnosis," they wrote.About 4% of emergency department visits in the U.S. are prompted by patient dizziness, and although less than 5% of these patients have experienced an underlying stroke, it's imperative to rule it out. Non-contrast head CT and head and neck CT angiography (CTA) are common exams used to diagnose stroke, but both have have low sensitivity (23% and 42%, respectively). MRI has higher sensitivity (80%) -- and specialized MRI protocols such as high-resolution, multiplanar DWI acquisitions appear to have an even higher sensitivity rate, at 95% -- yet the modality isn't used as often compared to CT and CTA due to increased cost, limited availability, and potentially longer ED stays, the team explained.But does MRI's benefits outweigh its extra cost? Tu's team investigated the cost-effectiveness of four neuroimaging approaches for evaluating patients presenting in the ED with dizziness: non-contrast CT head imaging; head and neck CT angiography; conventional brain MRI; and specialized MRI (including...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties MRI Emergency Radiology Source Type: news