Ethical Issues in Diagnostic Radiology

X-rays have been used in clinical diagnosis for about a hundred years. But the field of diagnostic imaging has expanded rapidly in the last three decades—as rapidly as any other sector of clinical medicine. CT and MRI were introduced in the ‘70s, the PET scan in the ’80s, and the MR angiogram and virtual colonoscopy are products of the new millennium. The November issue examines some ethical and educational challenges brought about by the transformation and widespread use of imaging technology and asks some lingering questions about the accuracy of the centenarian X-ray itself.

Volume 9, Number 11: 735-783 Full Issue PDF
  • From the Editor
    Nov 2007

    Taking Full Measure of Today's Radiologist

    Lina Nayak
    The expansion of imaging technology has dramatically affected all aspects of clinical medicine. As imaging comes to play a larger role in patient care, the physician-specialists who work in and lead this growing field—radiologists—are reassessing their professional responsibilities.
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):737-738. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.fred1-0711.
  • Case and Commentary
    Nov 2007

    Disclosure and the Retrospectoscope

    Thomas H. Gallagher, MD and R. James Brenner, MD
    This case is challenging because it represents a potential error on the part of the radiologist who interpreted a previous film—not the doctor who is currently treating the patient. While standards are being developed to help doctors disclose their own errors, guidelines for discussing other doctors’ errors with patients are lacking.
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):742-746. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.ccas2-0711.
  • Case and Commentary
    Nov 2007

    Suspected Child Abuse

    Wilbur Smith, MD
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):747-750. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.ccas3-0711.
  • State of the Art and Science
    Nov 2007

    Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    Jeffrey B. Mendel, MD
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):758-761. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.cprl1-0711.
  • Medicine and Society
    Nov 2007

    Radiologists' Ethical and Professional Obligations

    Kay Denise Spong Lozano, MD
    Each time an imaging study is ordered, radiologists must ask whether exposure to radiation is warranted. Imaging should not be performed to avoid litigation, for financial gain, to reach a quota, when the outcome clearly will not affect the treatment plan, or because the patient’s family demands it.
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):769-772. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.msoc1-0711.
  • Personal Narrative
    Nov 2007

    The Magic of X-ray Vision

    Gretchen Case, PhD
    When Hans Castorp, the protagonist in Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain, receives a miniature X-ray print, he acquires a passport to what Susan Sontag describes as the “kingdom of the ill.” Hans knows he is ill because the X-ray declares it so, and his doctor merely shows him how to see the proof in the picture.
    Virtual Mentor. 2007;9(11):773-775. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2007.9.11.mnar1-0711.