Vaios Hatzoglou MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Sofia Haque MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Andrei I. Holodny MD, Abstract Co-Author: Employee, fMRI Consultants LLC

To determine if second-opinion interpretations of outside neuroimaging studies by neuroradiologists at a tertiary care cancer center provided a significant benefit to cancer patients.

This study was performed after local Institutional Review Board approval and in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations. We retrospectively reviewed 300 second opinion interpretations performed by 3 subspecialty trained neuroradiogists from November 2012 through April 2013 and compared these reports to the outside reports submitted with the outside images. There were 15 excluded cases because the outside reader did not have the benefit of prior studies and/or histopathology available to the in-house neuroradiologists at the time of their second-opinion interpretations. The reports were categorized by using a previously described five-point scale: 1, no difference in interpretation; 2, clinically unimportant difference in detection; 3, clinically unimportant difference in interpretation; 4, clinically important difference in detection; and 5, clinically important difference in interpretation. Clinically important differences were defined as those that resulted in a change of diagnosis that affected prognosis (patient counseling), treatment approach, and/or patient referral.

The rate of clinically important discrepancies between the outside reports and the second opinion consultations was 21% (61/285). The discrepancies in detection (31) were similar in number to the discrepancies in interpretation (30). When histopathology, imaging follow-up and/or clinical assessment was available to establish the final diagnosis, the second-opinion consultation was more accurate 93% (40/43) of the time.

Second-opinion interpretations of outside neuroimaging studies of cancer patients by subspecialty radiologists at a tertiary care cancer center have a significant impact on patient care.

Second-opinion interpretations of outside neuroimaging studies of cancer patients by subspecialty radiologists at a tertiary care cancer center benefit patient care.

Hatzoglou, V, Haque, S, Holodny, A, Second-Opinion Interpretations of Neuroimaging Examinations by Subspecialty Radiologists Significantly Impacts the Care of Cancer Patients.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14009690.html