Behind the Scene but Still on my Team

Over the weekend I read this tweet :

"Step out of the dark and into the light." How radiologists can avoid being replaced by @CancerGeek #RSNA15 https://t.co/0UCFYsWWjw

— Ed Mariano, MD (@EMARIANOMD) November 29, 2015

The tweet links to a blog post which describes how a system built by Watson Health using Merge Healthcare data and machine learning can provide an initial recommendation. The recommendation will be based on accessing patient symptoms and cross referencing images with previously diagnosed scans. Basically radiologists could be replaced by machines. The blog ends with recommendations for radiologists to "step into the light".

A friend tweeted

@womenofteal @EMARIANOMD #radiology is key to #diagnosis but most #patient never realize the people behind the scenes. #RSNA15

— CancerGeek (@CancerGeek) November 29, 2015

And that got me thinking.

In the past 10 years, my care has included 21 CT scans, 2 PET/CTs, and 11 mammograms. In that time period  I have only met one radiologist. Back in 2005 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer my gyn-onc sent me for a mammogram to insure that I did not have breast cancer.  I had a script to go that day for a mammogram so they squeezed me into the schedule. After finishing,  the technician asked me to wait for a minute in the room. In walked the radiologist who had called my gyn-onc with the results. They did not want me to wait over the weekend for the results so the radiologist told me my mammogram images were clear. I thanked him and he wished me luck with the chemotherapy treatments.

In every other instance the radiologist who read my scans was behind the scenes. I have copies of the slides of each scan on CDs and also the written report for each scan. The report includes the name of the radiologist who read the scan and wrote the report. The group I use for my scans  has over 50 radiologists listed on their web page.  After years of scans I began to noticed that some of my scans were read by the same person and that was comforting. 

In October 2008, it was a CT scan that found my recurrence on my liver and spleen. (My CA-125 was normal).

So I have lots of reasons to thank the wonderful radiologists at University Radiology for the behind the scenes care they provide.

Becker, MD *
Simoes-DeCarvalho, MD
Winchman, MD*
Needell, MD*
Stein, MD
Amorosa, MD
Epstein, MD
Bramwit, MD*
Tunc, MD*
Lee, MD
Walor, MD
Levitt, MD
Yudd, MD
Einhorn, MD*
Grygotis, MD
Sorkin, MD
Chase, MD 
 *multiple reports

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!