Kirsteen Burton

• BSc, MBA, MSc, MD, PhD (candidate)
• Resident-Medical Imaging at University of Toronto

Introduction: The goal of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR-TIRADS) and the American Thyroid Association (ATA) systems in identifying malignant thyroid nodules. Methods: In a retrospective chart review, ultrasound images of all thyroid nodule...

There are well-established and emerging screening examinations aimed at identifying malignant and nonmalignant conditions at early, treatable stages. The Radiology Research Alliance's “Role of Imaging in Health Screening” Task Force provides a comprehensive review of specific imaging-based screening examinations. This work reviews and serves as a r...

Imaging screening examinations are growing in their indications and volume to identify conditions at an early, treatable stage. The Radiology Research Alliance's ‘Role of Imaging in Health Screening’ Task Force provides a review of imaging-based screening rationale, economics, and describes established guidelines by various organizations. Various i...

Purpose: To estimate the negative predictive value (NPV) of prostate mpMRI in the detection of clinically significant (Gleason ≥7) prostate cancer (csPCa) at long-term follow-up (median 6.7 years, range 2.6-10.7 years), in men with negative pre-MRI biopsy and to assess the diagnostic performance of mpMRI in detecting csPCa over this time. Materia...

Introduction: Thyroid ultrasound has been widely used to determine which nodules need further investigation. The goal of this study is to determine if using an ultrasonographic features checklist based on 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines can improve reporting and decrease unnecessary further testing. Methods: In this retrospect...

Objective: To determine the incidence of malignancy, follow-up ultrasound (US), and repeat fine needle aspiration (FNA) in thyroid nodules that have been previously biopsied as benign. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study of benign thyroid nodules evaluated by US between 2010-2011. We determined the frequency of follow-up ultrasou...

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is a rare, benign neoplasm of neural crest origin more commonly seen in the craniofacial region. We report a case of MNTI of the epididymis in a 6‐month‐old male child with emphasis on the sonographic appearance which has not been previously described. In this case, the mass was inseparable from the...

Objective: We describe a case of co-existing Graves disease and struma ovarii, which has seldom been reported. Methods: We present the clinical, biochemical, and imaging findings of one such case and review the relevant literature for the evaluation and treatment of co-existing Graves disease and struma ovarii. Results: A 33-year-old woman presente...

Reviews of published scientific literature are a valuable resource that can underline best practices in medicine and clarify clinical controversies. Among the various types of reviews, the systematic review of the literature is ranked as the most rigorous since it is a high-level summary of existing evidence focused on answering a precise question....

Background: The risk of breast cancer may be higher with direct exposure to ionizing radiation from thoracic computed tomography (CT) during pregnancy or postpartum. We evaluated the short-term risk of maternal breast cancer after exposure to thoracic CT during these periods. Methods: We completed a retrospective population-based cohort study of...

The internal thoracic artery (ITA) is the largest thoracic wall artery and is clinically important primarily for use in coronary artery bypass grafting. A number of anatomic variants of the ITA have been reported; however, bilateral, aberrant lateral branches of the ITA never have. The importance of this finding lies in the positioning of the arter...

Rationale and objectives: Here we review the current state of multicenter radiology research (MRR), and utilize a survey of experienced researchers to identify common advantages, barriers, and resources to guide future investigators. Materials and methods: The Association of University Radiologists established a Radiology Research Alliance task...

Anastomosing haemangiomas are relatively rare lesions, with a renal predilection, and which, given their imaging and pathologic appearance, mimic aggressive malignancies such as angiosarcoma. The imaging characteristics of this case are informative when evaluating a vascular lesion of the adrenal gland.

Virtual journal clubs (VJCs) provide a standardized, easily accessible forum for evidence-based discussion. The new virtual reality setting in which journal clubs and other online education events now take place offers great advantages and new opportunities for radiologists in academic medicine and private practice. VJCs continue to evolve, largely...

Background: Many studies have examined the timeliness of thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke, but less is known about door-to-imaging time. We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess the timing of neuroimaging among patients with suspected acute stroke in the province of Ontario, Canada, and to examine factors associated with delays in n...

Background Guidelines recommend that patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) undergo neuroimaging and cardiac investigations to determine etiology and guide treatment. It is not known how the use of these investigations has changed over time and whether there have been associated changes in management. Objectives To evaluate tempor...

Rationale and objectives: We evaluated the effects of a streamlined emergency department (ED) policy for CT ordering, pre- and postimplementation, on the completed imaging study rates of all after-hours computed tomography (CT) studies. The study hypothesis was that a streamlined CT ordering process would increase the utilization rates of ED CT....

This review appraises the process of development and the measurement properties of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), gauging it’s potential as a screening tool for sleep dysfunction in non-clinical and clinical populations; it also compares non-clinical and clinical populations in terms of PSQI scores. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and HAPI d...

Recently created in 2010, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) supports patient-centered comparative effectiveness research with a focus on prioritizing high-impact studies and improving trial design methodology. The Association of University Radiologists Radiology Research Alliance Task Force on patient-centered outcomes resear...

Economic evaluations provide a unique opportunity to identify the optimal strategies for the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury (TBI), for which uncertainty is common and the economic burden is substantial. The objective of this study was to systematically review and examine the quality of contemporary economic evaluations in the di...

This review appraises the process of development and the measurement properties of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), gauging its potential as a screening tool for sleep dysfunction in non-clinical and clinical samples; it also compares non-clinical and clinical populations in terms of PSQI scores. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and HAPI databa...

Academic radiology is poised to play an important role in the development and implementation of quantitative imaging (QI) tools. This article, drafted by the Association of University Radiologists Radiology Research Alliance Quantitative Imaging Task Force, reviews current issues in QI biomarker research. We discuss motivations for advancing QI, de...

Quantitative imaging (QI) is increasingly applied in modern radiology practice, assisting in the clinical assessment of many patients and providing a source of biomarkers for a spectrum of diseases. QI is commonly used to inform patient diagnosis or prognosis, determine the choice of therapy, or monitor therapy response. Because most radiologists w...

Purpose: To determine rates of death, disability, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage ( SICH symptomatic ICH ) among patients with acute ischemic stroke selected for thrombolytic therapy by using perfusion computed tomography (CT) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and methods: A search of the literature up to Jul...

This study reviews the quality of economic evaluations of imaging after acute stroke and identifies areas for improvement. We performed full-text searches of electronic databases that included Medline, Econlit, the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, and the Tufts Cost Effectiveness Analysis Registry through July 2012. Search stra...

Background: Current guidelines recommend that patients with suspected stroke undergo neuroimaging to confirm the diagnosis and that those with ischemic stroke or TIA receive carotid imaging and cardiac investigations to determine stroke etiology. It is not known how rates of investigations have changed over time, and if those trends have led to cha...

Purpose: The role of the present-day on-site hospital radiologist surpasses image interpretation-related duties. This study characterizes these workload activities, as well as quantifies the type of value-based interactions radiologists experience on a daily basis with allied health personnel. Materials and methods: A prospective, observational,...

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an emergency department (ED) automatic preauthorization policy on after-hours utilization of neuroradiology computed tomography (CT). Methods: All CT studies of the head with contrast facial bones, orbits, spine, and neck requested through the ED and performed between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010, w...

Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare clinical entity. It is less common when the entire epidural space is involved, known as a holocord or panspinal SEA, and it is even less common in a pregnant patient. We report a case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus holocord SEA in a 30-year-old female at approximately 22 weeks' gestational age...

Purpose To determine the patency rates of and factors associated with increased risk of patency failure in patients with femoral vein tunneled hemodialysis catheters. Methods All femoral tunneled catheter insertions from 1996 to 2006 were reviewed, during which time 123 catheters were inserted. Of these, 66 were exchanges. Patients with femoral cat...

Background: A retrospective radiographic review was undertaken to determine the prevalence of mis-seated ceramic liners in primary total hip arthroplasty and the association between body mass index and mis-seating risk. Methods: Patients with primary implantation of the Trident (Stryker, Mahwah, NJ) uncemented ceramic acetabular component were iden...

A novel case of acute pancreatitis in a patient treated with percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma is described. The most commonly reported adverse effects of PEI are hepatic or peritoneal hemorrhage, hepatic insufficiency or infarction. There are no previous reports of fatal acute pancreatitis as a result of co...

Introduction: Trauma resulting from acute burns is relatively common and we wished to study the incidence, outcomes and factors related to mortality and hospital length of stay to identify potential areas of prevention and improve the care of burn-injured patients. To do so, we studied a population of adult burn injury patients from a large area o...

PURPOSE Due to a lack of randomized controlled trial data, little information exists about the relative benefit of multimodal interventional therapy (embolization plus radiotherapy) compared to unimodal interventional therapy (radiotherapy) alone for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The objective of this study was to assess whether multimodal th...

To determine whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) hospital volume of throughput is associated with periprocedural and medium-term events, and whether any associations are independent of differences in case mix. Retrospective cohort study of all PCIs undertaken in Scottish National Health Service hospitals over a six-year period. All PCI...

Carotid artery stenosis is an important risk factor and etiology of stroke. Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is the gold standard for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis; however, there are potential benefits to adopting the use of carotid artery stenting (CAS) with protection devices. A number of large protected CAS (PCAS) trials are underway, bu...

The aim of this study was to determine the current usage, relevance, and preferences for electronic health information (EHI) in the participant surgeons' clinical, research, and teaching activities. The Internet-Based Health Information Survey (IBHIS) was conducted from August to December 2003. Thirty-seven doctors (primarily practicing in East Afr...

Purpose In East Africa, demand for surgical services is high: 400 surgeons provide care to a population of more than 200 million people. Given the paucity of official surgical policies in the region and the need for systematic regional planning to improve the delivery of surgical services in East Africa, as a start, basic surgical priorities needed...

Increasing numbers of women are entering medicine. In 1959, women accounted for 6% of medical school graduates, compared with 44% in 1989.1 The most recent data from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)2 demonstrate that women have gained equity in numbers in Canadian medical schools. In 2003, 49.6% of CaRMS applicants were women. This ye...

How is Africa to build up the medical research it needs? Doctors in African research communities are starved of access to the journals and texts their colleagues in more developed countries regard as fundamental to good practice and research. Isolation, burden of practice, and resource limitations make education and research difficult, but the rapi...