No 2 April 2009 RADIOLOGY

UPCOMINGCONGRESSES______________

MELISA NEWS

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

____________Imagination is more

important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.

Imagination encircles the world.

~ Albert Einstein ~

Upcoming congresses:

2009 FCA Anaesthesiology Clinical Course - (2009-04-20 - 2009-04-24)

· 2 DAY WORKSHOP: THE ESSENTIALS FOR CRITICAL READING AND INTERPRETA-TION OF MEDICAL LITERA-TURE -

(2009-05-08 - 2009-05-09)

It has been a busy month for us.

We visited the Neurology Congress in Muldersdrift as guests of GSK earlier this month to show case MELiSA. (GSK has sponsored NASA members with access to MELiSA… go GSK!!) It was really fun and ex-tremely exhausting. I have a new found respect for reps… their stamina is admirable! I can happily say all who saw MEliSA in action (even at ½ a G!… there is really bad signal in Mulders) loved it. It was interesting to note as well that Texbook of Clinical Neurology, the top Neuro textbook, is available in MELiSA books or you could go and buy it for R4500!!

The next big April event for us was PubMed. We have loaded almost all our titles to PubMed. Now when you do a search in PubMed and find an article in a journal that is in MEliSA you will be able to get a direct link to the full text article. How you do it is to select the article/s you want to read from the PubMed results, then select ‘view abstract’. This will open most articles in the abstract but more importantly this is where you will find the MELiSA icon which will take you to the full text article. If you get an option of Publisher e.g. Science Direct or Journal e.g. Pain, choose the publisher.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about have no fear because MELiSA is near with a new exciting workshop on how to use PubMed properly and all these details will be elaborated on as well as Mesh searching etc. etc. The workshops will be a hands on experience lasting about 2 hours. The first workshop is being held at the Wits Medical School Library on Tuesday the 5th of May starting at 14h00. CPD points will be awarded including one on ethics and the cost is R350. Limited seats are available so please contact us to book your place at info@melisa.co.za.

We have a winner of the Mauritius Holiday… will Dr S Chobokoane please step forward. The winners of the 3 Intellipens are Drs Padia, Chundra and Gunguwo. Congratulations to you all and we hope you enjoy your prizes half as much as you enjoy MELiSA!

To the CMSA members in the throws of exams, good luck! All the best and regards till next time.Ed.

MELiSAMedical Library of South Africa

TIP OF THE MONTH

JUNIOR DOCTORS’ CORNER

Use ‘My Favourites’ to make your MELiSA experience more efficient.

You are able to personalize your ‘My Profile’ page by adding onto this page links to your favourite journals. You do this by clicking on the ‘blue folder’ icon displayed next to the journal title/s of your choice in the Library (see below). It is just as easy to remove them from the ‘My Profile’ page so try it out… you won’t break the system.

It’s hard to believe that in roughly two weeks’ time, it’ll be four months of 2009 under the belt. That means a sixth of internship and a third of community service already down.

MELiSA has received a great deal of positive feedback from the many interns and com-munity service doctors who have signed up for their free access to MELiSA for 2009. It appears that the most commonly accessed components on MELiSA, by junior doctors, are MD Consult and First Consult (affording doctors a quick and simple means of ac-cessing up-to-date information on the differential diagnoses for a plethora of presenting problems and the management thereof).

Just to recap: As a doctor registered with the HPCSA to do your internship or com-munity service in 2009, MELiSA offers you 1000+ medical full-text journals, 100+ e-textbooks, MD Consult and First Consult as well as vibrant medical information websites both at www.melisa.co.za and on our facebook page 100% free. We are committed to making medical knowledge more accessible and affordable for doctors and we believe that as a junior doctor-in-training or a ‘’medical servant’’ of the wider community you are entitled to develop your medical brainpower at no cost to you. So we’re giving you a world of medical knowledge at your computer or cellphone fingertips, fully sponsored. You’d be crazy not to utilise this gift while it is still available to you.

Send us an email to dan@melisa.co.za and tell us about your experience. We’re looking out to ensure that MELiSA is fulfilling your needs. While you’re at it, visit our “Melisa for Interns and Com Serv Docs” page on Facebook and keep abreast with the latest happenings and developments in the junior doctor world! Assist us by informing your colleagues at other hospitals about this great opportunity.

See you online soon!

Dr. Daniel Israel

Intern and Community Service member liaison

Article Title: Role of MRI in Crohn’s Disease. Sinha R et al

The chronic indolent nature of Crohn’s disease coupled with the use of immune modu-lating drugs has increased the need for repeat accurate assessment of the activity and severity of the disease. This excellent review article compares in detail the advantages and disadvantages of MRI vs US, CT., conventional enteroclysis and wireless capsule endoscopy. It also provides an updated review of the MR features seen in Crohns, which is well worth reading.To view the article click here

Article Title: Survey of hospital clinician’s preferences regarding the format of radiology reports. Plumb, AAO et

While there is literature on this subject from North America, this is the first published report of radiology report content preferences of UK clinicians. It discusses preferences of content and format of radiological reports. Of particular interest is that in this limited small study clinicians unanimously preferred comment on the quality of the examina-tion, recommendation for further imaging and a conclusion or summary comment of findings. Editorial comment is to be found in the next article.To view the article click here

MELISA JOURNAL WATCH - RADIOLOGY

Article Title: Do the terms “proximal and distal cause confusion amongst radi-ologists and other clinicians? Skillicorn CJ.

This article highlights the apparent confusion inherent in radiologists as well as clini-cians in the use of these terms and suggests some alternate bur lengthier clarifying description to avoid any such confusion especially as regards the SVC, pancreas, biliary tree and veins. In my view It is of vital importance to note that this confusion is even more widespread amongst nurses who might be required to act on it!

Report re report To view the article click here

Journal Name:Clinical Radiology

Article Title: Dual Energy CT pulmonary angiography: a novel technique for as-sessing acute and chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Hoey ETD et al

This article merely introduces 2 cases which highlight the added diagnostic value of the ability to obtain a “subtracted” lung perfusion image with a simultaneous dual energy [140 vs 80 kV] bolus enhanced scan. There is no mention of any additional ability to differentiate acute from chronic emboli over and above the currently used criteria as one might have been led to expect from the title.To view the article click here

Article Title: Pictorial Review:Cysts cavities and honeycombing in multisystem disorders: differential diag-

nosis and findings on thin-section CT. Grant LA et al

This excellent combined pictorial and textual review provides a comprehensive compar-ative understanding and demonstration of the subject and has an excellent summary table on page 440 which would benefit both training registrars and seasoned pulmonary radiologists.To view the article click here

Journal: Emergency Radiology / March 2009

Article Title: Musculoskeletal: What’s different in children? I fell on my wrist and now it hurts. Swischuk

This article by this doyen of paediatric emergency radiology points out an often missed important common fracture site in the wrist which should be excluded following a fall in children. To view the article click here

Article Title:Pictorial: The natural history on acute non-traumatic aortic diseases. Hardier AW et al

This excellent pictorial essay and textual review will satisfy those who share my fasci-nation for documenting the radiological follow up of the natural history of disease.To view the article click here

Article Title: When do we need contrast enhanced CT in patients with vague urinary system findings on unenhanced CT?

While unenhanced CT of the renal tract has replaced excretory urography in acute renal colic at a similar cost, this article provides realistic appropriate criteria and indications for the addition of a post contrast examination of the urinary tract which should ensure that significant pathology does not remain undetected.

To view the article click here

Article Title: Accuracy of chest radiographic interpretation by emergency physicians

This article highlights the need for improvement of the interpretative radiological skills of Emergency physicians as well as the need for an efficient callback system.To view the article click here

Journal: Pediatric Radiology

Emergency Radiology

Article Title: A practical approach to paediatric emergencies in the radiology department. Nigel et al

Although acute life threatening events involving children are rare the practical overview of this article will benefit patients and radiologists by outlining relatively simple proce-dures required to maintain or restore vital functions in seriously ill or sedated children.In my view all prudent radiologists practicing in the appropriately sophisticated setting should ensure that all sedation should be carried out by an anaesthetist or appropriate-ly trained experienced individual and all sick patients should at least be accompanied by a competent nursing sister. This article is most valuable to all but especially those who do not operate in such sophisticated environments.To view the article click here

Article Title: Pediatric cervical spine trauma imaging:A practical approach. Egloff et al

A competent review of suggested imaging protocols, characteristics, types of injuries and measurements used to diagnose cervical spinal injury in children. Excellent sum-mary tables of Types of injury and their important characteristics in children as well as another table of measurements are included.To view article click here

Article Title: Skeletal imaging of child abuse (non-accidental injury)Amaka Offiah

In recent years there has been a worldwide increased awareness that children are physically abused by their carers. Radiologists play a vital role in the detection of in-flicted injuries. This article reviews the skeletal imaging findings seen in child abuse.To view article click here

Article Title: Imaging of acute appendicitis in children: EU versus U.S. or US versus CT? A European perspective Herma C. Holscher & Hugo A.

An approach favouring ultrasound [as opposed to CT] on the basis of safety and body habitus is presented.To view article click here

Article Title:Imaging of acute appendicitis in children:EU versus U.S. … or US versus CT?

A North American perspectiveDonald P. Frush & Karen S. Frush & Keith T. Oldham

A cautious approach which would tend to favour CT on the basis of an increased preva-lence of obesity, medico-legal concerns and better after-hours availability of CT skills coupled with the apparent but surprising relative after-hours shortage of ultrasonogra-phers with appropriate skill levels as well as medico-legal concerns. To view article click here

MELiSAMedical Library of South Africa