A new study from Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, N.Y., found that elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous from benign breast lesions and has the potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies. For the study, 179 patients underwent breast ultrasound and elastography. Elastography properly identified 98 percent of lesions that had malignant findings on biopsy, and 82 percent of lesions that turned out to be benign. Elastography was also more accurate than ultrasound in gauging the size of the lesions. Currently, 80 percent of breast biopsies yield benign results. This study will be presented by Stamatia V. Destounis, M.D.

Too Much Physical Activity May Lead to Arthritis

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be unknowingly causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis. For the study 236 asymptomatic participants, age 45 - 55, within a healthy weight range were separated into low-, middle-, and high-activity groups based on their responses to a standardized physical activity questionnaire. Subsequent MRI analysis indicated a relationship between physical activity levels and frequency and severity of knee damage. Abnormalities were associated solely with activity levels and were not age or gender specific. The findings also indicated that some high-impact, weight-bearing activities carry a greater risk of knee damage over time. This study will be presented by Christoph Stehling, M.D.

Tuesday news conferences focus on the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer from screening mammography, early diagnosis of a life-threatening pregnancy complication, improved skin cancer detection, brain damage caused by lead exposure, spinal abnormalities in overweight adolescents and the association between peripheral arterial disease and serious heart disease.

SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)