A research letter, published online in JAMA Internal Medicine, states that in a study of 1,000 requests for MRIs of the lumbar spine, nearly half were ordered for indications considered inappropriate or of uncertain value, according to a Medscape Today report.
Investigators studied requests for 1,000 MRIs of the lumbar spine and 1,000 MRIs of the head ordered by physicians in a variety of specialties at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada and the Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, Canada.
Only 443 of the lumbar spinal MRIs were deemed appropriate, indicating overuse. On the other hand 82.8 percent of MRIs of the head for headaches were deemed appropriate.
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Investigators studied requests for 1,000 MRIs of the lumbar spine and 1,000 MRIs of the head ordered by physicians in a variety of specialties at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada and the Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, Canada.
Only 443 of the lumbar spinal MRIs were deemed appropriate, indicating overuse. On the other hand 82.8 percent of MRIs of the head for headaches were deemed appropriate.
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